My elementary-school-aged son, who had become completely obsessed with baseball, begged me for a full set of equipment and a uniform. I made him a deal: If he fulfilled a task I gave him, I would buy it for him. He eagerly promised to memorize the multiplication tables—his summer homework—before the new school term began. I had already purchased the baseball gear, ready to hand it over the moment he kept his promise. Yet, even as the new school term approached, he still hadn’t memorized all the tables. Though I longed to give him the gift, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he hadn’t made the effort. This made me reflect: How many gifts has God prepared for me that I have not yet received, simply because I haven’t done my part? Remembering the times I sought blessings without fully obeying His word, I now resolve to follow it faithfully—even in the smallest things God asks of me.
