It was one week before Christmas when I was at the supermarket with three little ones in tow. I needed more wrapping paper so I pushed my cart to the Christmas aisle before going to the grocery section. As I perused the assortment of wrapping paper, my eyes landed on a combo pack containing two rolls of paper. One roll had black and white penguins wearing red bow ties, and the other roll had black Scotty dogs with red bow ties. With the silver foil background, the paper was precious and adorable and I had to have it. It was the cutest paper I had ever seen, but it was also the most expensive. “It will end up in the trash,” I told myself as I held it in my hands. I decided to select another combo pack that was still cute, but not as adorable and not as expensive. On the way home I decided I would come back to the store the morning after Christmas and buy it in the Christmas clearance section if it was still there.

Christmas was lovely, and the wrapping paper ended up in the trash as I knew it would. The next morning I was dressed and ready to head to the store to find my potential bargain. My little ones, however, didn’t fit into the plan. Tired and fussy from a busy Christmas day, it took much longer to get them fed, dressed, and out the door on a snowy morning.  I was getting more and more irritated with them as I kept looking at the clock, knowing the store had already opened.   In the midst of my frustration, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. Your children are more important than wrapping paper. If you are supposed to have the paper, it will be there when you get there.  “Yes, of course. I know that. Thanks for the reminder.”

I slowed my pace and finally made it to the store hours later. I pushed the shopping cart to the Christmas clearance section and there it was—the cute, adorable, precious wrapping paper in the combo pack. In fact, there were several packs and it was 75% off.  I bought two combo packs and stashed it away until the following Christmas.  That year, I smiled as I wrapped my children’s gifts with Scotty dogs and penguins. And I was once again reminded that my children were more important that wrapping paper.

Crystal