I bought a teeth whitening kit.

It came in the mail in that oh-too-familiar brown Amazon box, one of the late-night purchases I really didn’t need.

I opened the box, pulled out the kit, and put it away while cleaning.

Yesterday I decided I wanted to try it.

So I went looking for it.

Now, we all know how this goes. It had been months since I stored it and I was multi-tasking at the time. I only knew the general area to look. And I did.

I made a quick sweep through all of the drawers and cabinets in my bathroom, bedroom, and closet.

No teeth whitening kit.

I gave up for a little while and decided it wasn’t worth it. I had things to do and while it would’ve been nice, I could definitely survive without it.

I went to bed resigned to flashing my pearly off-whites for the rest of my life.

But today I woke up and decided I really wanted that kit. I even picked up my phone to order a new one from Amazon. (Ordering something online to replace something you don’t feel like looking for is a thing. It should probably have a support group too.)

I reasoned that the bathroom was the most likely place for me to store it and decided to look again. This time I sat on the floor, sure that my previous bending-over search had been hampered.

I meticulously picked up every single thing in the large storage basket. The fact that I had three of many things was evidence that I need to take stock before I shop a little more often. From the basket to the floor. Left to right. Left to right. Left to…

What even is this in my hand? It’s a pink mesh bag. I don’t remember th… Oh my!

It was the teeth whitening kit!

I’d handled it at least twice in my search. It was IN MY HAND when I had just about decided to give up.

I’d been looking for a white box and it was in a pink bag. I’d completely forgotten that I’d pulled it out of the box.

And I had been so set on finding a white box that I missed what I was looking for.

I laughed at how blinded I’d been. Then the Lord showed me something that was no laughing matter.

This is how we often do His plans for us.

We get so focused on what we think our life SHOULD look like that we miss what He has for us. We are holding His will in the palm of our hand while searching for what we want. We become so consumed by our own desires that we completely overlook He has for us.

We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. James 1:14 (CEV)

Don’t fall into a trap of your own making. Be vigilant. Look for what the Lord has for you. Keep an open mind to a new vision for your life.