I am married to a man who has the gift of unique gift giving. I learned very quickly in our relationship not to expect the gifts that I ask for on birthdays or Christmas. Sometimes these unique gifts leave you wanting more, other times they are better than anything you could have ever asked for.

Father’s Day this year was no different for the gift he picked out for my dad. My little boys got Pawpaw a few books to have at his house that they can read together when they are visiting. The big boys and I got him a board game based on United States history. Then on the way home, after the shopping was all done, my husband said that we needed to stop by a local grocery store because there was something there that he needed to get for my dad for Father’s Day.

Now, there have been times in the past that my dad received gifts that were, let’s say, below par. One year we had no money so we colored a picture of Superman, cut a photo of my dad’s face, and glued it onto the picture. We added a silly poem about my dad being a super hero. (The last time I sat at his desk this picture was hanging on his wall.) One time we forgot to get a card so my husband got a “beautiful” card at the gas station by my parent’s house. We still hear about that card years later. But this year we had finances to get a real gift and we even remembered to shop in advance, so there was really no excuse for a crummy gift.

Once at the store we dropped Joe off and the kids and I drove around the parking lot waiting to see what this great gift was. My oldest saw the gifts first and his response was, “What is that garbage”. (He wasn’t really being disrespectful or mean – that’s just Ryan for you.) But as kid #3 saw what his dad was loading into the car he said, “Wow! Cool garbage!”

So, what did my husband load into the back of the minivan? Two metal roosters painted bright, primary colors standing about 3 feet high. See, my dad is now raising chickens and roosters. There is a large sign in front of my parent’s house welcoming all who drive up to the house. These roosters were intended to go on each side of the sign to help in that welcoming – which is where they are now.

So, here’s the thing: When one set of eyes saw those roosters they saw useless pieces of metal. A second set saw a beautiful piece of art. We live in a world where we are told over and over that we are not good enough, not skinny enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not rich enough, just not enough. But, the truth is that we were created and knit together by a Creator who loves us. When He looks at us I think He has the same excitement and reaction as my little guy did over the colorful roosters! So, on those days when all you see in the mirror is garbage remember your Creator is saying “Cool garbage!”