The Easter Egg Hunt

Many many years ago we had an Easter egg hunt at a church member's house. As we all searched for the golden egg(it had been left in the yellow dye for a very long time to turn it golden), many passed it by with their haphazard searching. One girl lifted a pipe and looked in it but quickly put it back down. During the course of the search she did this several times. Everyone was vieing for the golden egg as it was a five dollar prize egg. I got the bright idea of lifting the pipe to move it out of the way and lo and behold that golden egg rolled right out the end of the pipe right at my feet. Oh I was so excited to see it. For a pore ole country girl that five dollars was like five thousand would be today. I put the egg in my bag and kept searching awaiting the call for the end of the hunt. As we gathered around and awaited our rewards, I was thrilled to know I was going to get five dollars momentarily. When I aproached the leader I showed him the golden egg and told him I had found the prize egg. I stood in silence waiting for him to hand me the prize. He reached in his pocket and pulled out some change and handed me a fifty cent piece and told me that was my prize. I know that the other girl would have gotten the five dollars if she had been the one to get the egg but because it was me and not her it was a different amount than what was to be awarded.I politely said Thank You to the man and walked away with a saddened spirit. This was not my first encounter with unfairness. It seems that no matter our belief in the same God there is always those that will be judged on their lack of financial prosperity among other things.
Another trip down the unfairness lane of life brought me to tears when I won the talent contest at church for my comedy presentation. Everyone laughed at my antics and the applause I received at the end was a boost to my spirit. I was looking forward to the next level of competition and was given some bad news a couple of weeks later. The girl that won second place in the talent competition was going on to compete instead of me. I was devestated to know that the soot on my face was not going to be allowed due to the equal rights movement. Needless to say I did not take this news as positive critiquing but as another way to hurt one already hurt. Though life has had many of these moments, as I sit and reflect on them, it shows me that God knew I would need those times to build my strength in character as well as spirit. The saying of "In a hundred years nobody will know the difference" is so true. Every thing that happens to us and how we react to it brings us to the places we are now. I am happy with where I am. I still don't have a big financial bank account or anything of much worldly worth but I have a richness that so many do not have in this lifetime that are considered rich. God has blessed me abundantly with many blessings. He didn't give me beautiful hands but he gave me hands to make beautiful things for others. He didn't give me the best situation in life to be raised up in but he raised me up to be compassionate and empathetis toward others. He didn't take my life when my daughter and were in a wreck, he gave me life though it is altered with having to use a rolling walker to get around so I could share my life with my grandchildren. We didn't have the privelege of having grandparents around when I was growing up. I prayed for the blessing of being here for my grandxchildren and was given my request.
I thank God for all those times of unfairness that taught me to be fair. I thank God for all those trials that made me stronger. I thank God for all that was taken away so I would know how to give. I thank God for never hearing I love you growing up so I could tell my children that I loved them often and without measure. I thank God for not having much so that when I do get something I can show appreciation for it. I thank God for all the kids that made fun of me when I was growing up so that I wouldn't make fun of others. I thank God for all that I have and don't have because he is the one who knows my needs and supplies me with them. I have had many challenges in my life and am at a place where I knopw the bigger picture of my journey through this world and know without a doubt that God is real and answers our prayers to suit our needs and not our wants. I know my Heavenly Father loves me without a doubt and I keep my faith in him and not man for the blessings I receive.
So if the Easter egg hunt doesn't give a big prize for it, look at it this way, at least you can eat it as long as it is a real chicken egg and not a plastic one. Thank You to the chicken who laid that egg of long ago.
Until next time I leave you with just this...Alice