You know those moments that instantly brighten your life?
Those moments where it seems God has purposefully reached down and placed something incredibly special in your path, just so He can see you smile back at Him.
It is in moments like this – simple glimpses of just how much my Heavenly Father adores me – that I am reminded He knows me inside and out, my proud moments and my sad, my moments of contentment and the moments I feel so overwhelmed I could cry.
He knows how desperately at that very minute I need that beam of sunshine through the clouds, that bright yellow tulip on a rainy day, or that ‘just calling to say I love you’ phone call from my mother.
And He knows the desires of my heart, however simple they may be.
In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says:
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.”
Yesterday was just a typical Monday, until God reached down and gifted me with this:
A gently used Yamaha PSR-410 keyboard.
And I am positively giddy over its arrival.
As a child I took piano lessons for nearly nine years.
Every week day morning my sister Angel and I would rise sometimes as early as 5am to complete our obligatory 30 minutes of piano practice before leaving for school. Even in her sleep my mother always knew if we tried to cut our practice time short by 5 minutes.
Halfway through high school, however, my extracurricular activities began to overshadow the piano. I eventually stopped taking lessons.
When I graduated and moved out of my parents’ house, I made sure to pack all my treasured sheet music and take it with me. To this day I still have it. To some, it is simply paper collecting dust in my basement, particularly since I don't have a piano. But to me, it is beautiful music I spent hours learning to play, songs that became precious to me.
There is something about that moment a song finally comes together, and your fingers glide over the keys as if they have known the melody all along. In those moments, with the music resonating so powerfully from the piano, I felt like I finally understood what it means to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
For the last ten years my fingers and my heart have been yearning to play those songs again.
Justin has always known that some day I want a piano of my own. I have resigned myself to the fact, however, that day is not likely to arrive while we live in our current home because we don’t have room for a piano. Nor could we afford one right now, even if we had the room.
But God loves me.
He knows my heart.
And He knows how to give wonderful gifts to His children.
Yesterday He told me just how much He loved me through the gift of a used keyboard.
Today I am still smiling back at Him.
While we may not have room for a piano in our home, we certainly have room in our bedroom for a free keyboard.
Now if you'll excuse me,
I'm off to find my sheet music.
{To Bert and Irene: Your generosity has blessed me more than you will ever know.}
{To Nana and Grandpa: Thank you for transporting the keyboard across
Washington for me.}
{To Mikki: Thank you for knowing I would enjoy such a gift. I am a very blessed daughter-in-law.}
