I’ve never been the most observant person. I will swear up and down I’ve lost my keys or wallet or favorite hat forever before realizing they’re on the floor right next to me.

Never have I been more oblivious than I was Christmas morning in the 4th Grade.

After all the unwrapping was complete, my parents tasked me with taking the trash outside to the garbage can.

Now, I wasn’t completely oblivious to the giant covered object in the center of the garage as I walked toward the garbage can. I did notice a some strange blob where one had never been before. But I wasn’t assuming this mysterious object was for me. Perhaps it was just a lawnmower under repair?

My parents were waiting for me back in the living room. I calmly came back inside and sat down to examine my gifts. The eager smiles on my parents’ faces turned to confusion.

“Did you notice anything unusual in the garage?” they questioned me. I mentioned the mystery mound I passed by on the way to the trash. My parents laughed and suggested I look under the sheet.

What I found was perhaps the best Christmas present ever. It looked something like this:

Sometimes we are blind to the incredible gifts right in front of our eyes.

Daily we ask God to reveal Himself in our lives. We beg the Lord over and over again to show us His plan and His purpose.

When God does reveal Himself, we question if it’s really Him. We complain because He did not come the way we wanted Him to.

We wonder where God’s blessings are when they don’t come the way we expect them.

When I worked at a church, I spent hours every day trying to figure out God’s plans and align them with my own. However, rarely a day went by when my office schedule did not get interrupted.

I never realized before I worked in a church how many people in need visit a church every day. Many homeless, hurting, and hungry people entered my office seeking help over the course of 5 years.

Usually when these strangers came into the church I cursed God for the interruptions. I was supposed to be doing His work, after all. Why on earth would God interrupt me with a person in need while I’m trying to serve the kingdom?

What a Scrooge I was.

God placed these gifts, these incredible opportunities to serve right before my desk and I brushed them off because I was not looking for them. 

You may think the gift you’ve been praying for can only come in one type of package. But just like a Go-Kart under a sheet in your garage, the best gifts come when you least expect them.

If you’re looking for God in the chaos of Christmas, open your eyes to what’s already before you. Look around and see the ways He is moving, the opportunities to serve already available to you.

Sometimes you miss God’s gifts if you’re not looking for them. This season, keep your eyes peeled and recognize the mysterious situations God puts you in may be the gifts you’ve been praying for all this time.

What sort of gifts have you been oblivious to in the past? Are there any blessings or opportunities you’re missing out on today that are right in front of your face?