The Wish Book

Monday - December 6th

Scripture to Read Today: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10

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It is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:9–10

“It’s here! It’s here!” Lance and I shouted to each other. Lance and I were best friends when we were kids. We knew Christmas was coming when the Sears Wish Book showed up in Lance’s family’s mailbox. The cover showed the latest and greatest toys. We would flip through one page after the next of the dozens of toy pages in the seasonal catalog. We circled the toys we wanted Santa to bring on Christmas Eve. We did so wide-eyed and hopeful.

Today, stores still roll out a version of the Sears Christmas “Wish Book.” But, for many young children, the “Wish Book” has taken on a life of its own with YouTube Kids channels featuring the toy “unpacking” phenomenon. The unpacking of a toy on video becomes a significant tease for other kids. One nine-year-old boy became a millionaire over the last few Christmases with his toy unpacking clips.

“Wish Books,” YouTube unpacking channels, and Amazon wish lists provide wonder and hope this time of year. Even as an adult, I like these means to wish for something exciting and fun. But, sometimes, the catalog, the unpacking video, and the Amazon wish list can let us down when the toy doesn’t measure up to all the hype.

We can be challenged when life doesn’t turn out as we had hoped in our everyday lives. So, when life looks a little different from the catalog, YouTube channel, or wish list, what do you do?

This holiday season may look very different from your last holiday season. This Christmas may look nothing like you thought it would.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about how God’s promises far exceed our expectations. We need to lift up our eyes above the horizon and see the great hope found in our God.

Whatever we hope to experience this side of Heaven is only a foreshadow of what is to come. God has given us just a little taste on earth of what He has prepared for us in Heaven. The heaviness of heartbreak and loss of hope is only for a moment.

We can hold on to the hope that the best is yet to come. God has prepared a beautiful place for us in Heaven that far outpaces anything we could put on a wish list.

When you get discouraged and don’t know what to do, focus on what God has promised is coming.

The promises of God are far better than the best items in a Wish Book or on a wish list!