Today, the alarm went off early. The gift was ready to go, sitting by the front door. In a see-through, large, airtight bag it looked quite pretty. The card read, “TO THE GARBAGE COLLECTOR – THANK YOU!”
I had securely tied a flashlight (a 200 hour LIFE GEAR, glow in the dark, with a neon blue flash option) to the wrapped chocolates. I headed out the door and, like last week, I placed the gift in a shallow cardboard box on top of the garbage. He could not miss it this time. (You can read here how he missed it last time.)
There the gift sat, in the darkness of an early morning, flashing in a blue hue on top of the garbage. Here I sat, by my window, waiting for it to be found. In the stillness of the morning and with a cup of coffee, I stared at my blinking garbage can. In the darkness and snow, the flickering green container reminded me more of a Christmas decoration than a pile of junk. Slowly but surely the sun was rising and filled the darkness with another blue hue. Light snow fell to the ground and within a short time as daylight appeared, what once flashed so pretty, again seemed like ordinary garbage.
There and then I decided not to let this one get chucked, but instead hand it personally to the man. I grabbed my hat and mittens and put on my boots and coat. I determined to shovel snow while waiting. I walked back and forth along the driveway, and as snow piled up at the end of my shovel, many thoughts and even tears flooded in.
“God, You placed Your precious Light into our darkness.
How patient You are with us.
As we ignorantly seek for better things in this life,
We carelessly disregard the priceless gift and treasure
You set our for us.
You came and placed Him – during the darkest part of our night –
In a dirty and filthy stable.
There in a feeding trough lay our Light of the Word.”
He did not look annoyed this time. He had a warm smile as he took the gift from my hand. I wished him Merry Christmas. He thanked me and drove off in his big green truck. The gift set securely on his dashboard.
I am grateful that this time he did take my gift – along with the garbage.
The
true light,
which gives light
to everyone,was coming
into the world. He was in the world,
and the world was made through him,
yet the world did not know him.
He came to his own, and his own people
did not receive him. But to all who did receive him,
who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God,who were born, not of blood
nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,
but
of God.
John 1:9-13 (ESV)
(Heidi Viars, 2013)
Heidi Viars 
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