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“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” James 1:17  

Since January, our family had been planning and coordinating a trip to Chicago last Saturday to surprise my daughter a week early for her 30th birthday. Reservations were made, her best friend carefully crafted the perfect plan to get her to the restaurant where we were waiting, and we even figured out how to get balloons and a cake!

In the weeks leading up to “Operation Surprise Teenie,” we often laughed about how stressful it was to talk with her on the phone, while constantly making sure we were not the ones to accidentally give the surprise away.

Two weeks ago, she called and mentioned, “I think I want to come home next weekend.”

Without even taking a breath, I instantly barked, “NO YOU CAN’T DO THAT! NO ONE WILL BE HOME!” Afterwards, I wondered if she was as shocked as I was at the intensity of my reaction.

Yet all the anxiousness and nervous anticipation melted away the moment she walked in and saw us. The look on her face was absolutely priceless—a moment of pure joy that will remain a treasured memory in this momma’s heart.

However, another endearing moment occurred in this story. While we were waiting for my daughter to go home to let her dog out so she could spend the rest of the day with us, we stopped at an arcade next to our hotel to keep my six-year-old grandson occupied. Papa purchased him a card with a limited amount of game time, and immediately he gravitated toward a human-sized “Claw Machine”.

I warned him, “Those machines are a rip-off. You won’t win, and you’ll end up wasting the money on your card.”

My words fell on deaf ears. He played that particular game with great intensity because he was determined to win a large green bouncy ball with a picture of “Sonic the Hedgehog” on it. Somehow, by God’s grace, he actually won it! For the rest of the day, that huge green ball traveled with us everywhere we went. It bounced its way through the streets of Chicago, made its way to Navy Pier, rode the Ferris wheel, and even joined us for dinner at a nice restaurant.

The sad reality, however, was that the ball was too large to take on the plane home the next day. Since becoming grandparents, I’ve discovered that my husband had no trouble disappointing his own children when they were young—but disappointing a grandchild is an entirely different matter.

So the next morning, he woke up early and tried everything he could to deflate the ball before we left for the airport. He even took it to the front desk to see if they had a tool that might help, but nothing worked. In the end, we left the precious ball in the hotel room and explained to Max that we had left it behind to make another child happy. Unfortunately, Max was still very sad.

When we arrived at the airport, my husband asked me to call the hotel and find out how much it would cost to ship the ball home. I was connected to the security manager, who ran the dimensions through the FedEx website and came back with an estimate of $358. My immediate reaction was, “Max will get over this!”

But then the gentleman said, “You know, I have an air compressor in my office. I’m going to go get the ball from the room and see if I can deflate it.”

Thirty minutes later, he called back to say he had succeeded and that he was mailing the ball to us in an envelope—free of charge. I thanked him profusely and said, “You must be a great dad to understand how important this ball was to a six-year-old.”

He replied simply, “No… I just enjoy helping people.”

What makes a complete stranger go to such lengths of kindness? A kind and loving heart.

What makes a family travel to Chicago to surprise a girl for her birthday? The bond of love.

What makes a Savior travel to a cross to die for our sins? The most precious act of love that ever existed.

This Lenten season, as we reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross through personal devotions, prayer, and worship, may we be reminded of His incredible love for us. Even when we cannot fully see it, God is always at work—sometimes preparing sweet surprises of grace in the process.

As we continue our Lenten journey, may we remember that every step is leading us toward the joy of Easter.

In His Amazing Love,

Mrs. Palka