The gift

A young man was getting ready to graduate from university. For a long time he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom and knowing his father could well afford it, he told his Dad that was all he wanted.
As his graduation day approached the young man began looking for signs that his father had bought the car. Finally on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son and he told him how much he loved him.
He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely leather bound Bible with the young man’s name embossed in gold.
Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” and then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in his own business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him as he had not spoken to him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him that his father had passed away and had willed all his possessions to his son so he needed to come home and take care of things.
When he arrived at his father’s house sadness and regret filled his heart. He began sorting through his father’s papers and saw the still new Bible just as he had left it years ago.
With tears in his eyes he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse… Matthew-7:11, “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father which is in Heaven give to those who ask him?” As he read these words a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name and on the tag was the date of his graduation and the words paid in full.
How many times do we miss out on blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?