humblepresents.

Lately, I have been asking God to show me little glimpses of Himself - things about who He is, and how He loves us.  And, faithfully, He has done just that.  And other things too.  But I just want to share this.
Yesterday was Fonda's birthday, and I didn't see her too much - just in the morning when we had breakfast with her mom & stepdad & Bobo the puppy.  So I didn't have the chance to give her what I made her, which is a very small gift.  It is made of almost entirely paper, and It wasn't wrapped, and actually, I haven't even finished it yet.  It's almost nothing - it will not last forever, and it certainly has no material value.  I admitted to her that I was a little bit insecure about it.  And she insisted that I show it to her, right then.  I showed it to her.  And she loved it - or at least she told me she did - but I think she really did.  Then I was arranging the mugs (our cabinet holds them quite tightly...and...also I like to arrange things) and in the cabinet, in its home, was the little teacup that she gave me because I told her about how, at home, we have these teacups that are actually the size of small bowls.  And that I eat everything out of them.  The next day, she came home with a little bowl-sized teacup...perfect for eating out of and being at home with.  That was a small gift, too.  A humblepresent that I completely loved just because she saw it and thought to give it to me, to remind me of home.  You know, maybe that's how God feels when we offer up what little we have...a little fleck of praise, a tiny scrap of gratitude...I think...I hope, that in those He is loved back.  Of course this is hard to imagine, since He offers perfect love and anything short of perfect is...well, imperfect.  This is where grace comes crashing down and reminds me that, thank GOODNESS, I do not have to earn my love from God.  Because if I did I could never even hope to possess it.  So, even though He freely gives and asks nothing in return, He graciously accepts our humblepresents.  And maybe he laughs a little bit too as we present them.