9 Jan 2025, 22:48Adina Lupu
Lessons from a Lost Christmas Parcel
In this reflective piece, Adina Lupu recounts the unexpected journey of a Christmas parcel sent to a friend in the United States, which took an unplanned detour through Australia. Drawing parallels between the parcel’s misdirection and life’s unexpected delays, she explores themes of faith, purpose, and divine timing.
This Christmas season, I decided to surprise my friend in America by sending her a Christmas present. All nicely wrapped, I handed the box to the worker at the Post Office and cheerfully mentioned that this special parcel was destined for the USA. She processed the details, handed me the receipt with the tracking code, and I merrily went on my way, eagerly anticipating the smile this gift would bring to my friend’s face when she received it—within two weeks, as promised by the Post Office's advertised delivery times.
A few days later, I checked the parcel's journey online to see how much longer it would take. To my surprise, it had been delivered to a sorting hub in Australia. While I don’t claim to know much about international deliveries, I do know that Australia is in the opposite direction to the USA from Scotland, where I live.
Concerned, I decided to inquire at the Post Office. By this time, the parcel’s status had not changed; it seemed to be “stuck in transit.” That was when I realised the worker who processed the parcel had mistakenly recorded it as bound for Australia and had also misspelt the second line of the delivery address. I began to fear the parcel might never reach my friend due to the confusion.
But then, to my amazement, a few days ago, my friend joyfully informed me that the parcel had arrived. A journey meant to take just 14 days across the ocean turned into a 34-day global adventure. This experience made me reflect on life.
Has God ever intended for us to be in a specific place at a specific time to bless others, but we ended up heading in the wrong direction—perhaps due to our own choices or because we followed misguided advice? Along life’s path, have we ever found ourselves in a strange place we were never meant to be, feeling “lost in transit,” as if our value had been overlooked and our purpose forgotten?
I believe this is, in broader terms, the condition of humanity. Sin has set us on a path God never intended for us, causing our lives to take a wrong turn.
In my parcel’s case, a staff member at the Australian Post Office evidently went above and beyond. Instead of discarding it among the “lost items,” this person recognised its value—perhaps inspired by the festive message on the box, “Season’s Greetings from Scotland, don’t open until Christmas”—and arranged for it to be redirected to its rightful destination. This required attention, time, and possibly even extra resources.
Do you feel stuck in transit, lost, or on the wrong course? Perhaps you feel as if you’ve been cast aside, unnoticed and undervalued. Just as the Post Office employee intervened for my parcel, Jesus takes it upon Himself to redirect us, putting us back on the right track so we can reach our true destination. He sees our worth and never casts us aside, even if we’ve ended up in the wrong place because of our choices or the missteps of others.
Sometimes, the enemy of our souls may appear trustworthy, offering guidance that leads us astray. Yet, Jesus has made every provision for us to be redirected to the destination God has in mind for us. If you entrust your journey to Him, He will ensure you become a blessing in the right place at the right time.
But that’s not all!
Recently, I heard a sermon about waiting for God’s blessings. The speaker referenced Zachariah and Elizabeth, who prayed for many years for a child but faced long delays. He encouraged listeners, saying that even when it feels like God’s answer is delayed, He has not forgotten us.
I can relate to this personally. For 19 years, I have been praying for a specific blessing, yet the answer hasn’t come. It feels like the desired response has been delayed, much like my Christmas parcel, which took an additional 20 days to brighten my friend’s life.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the book My Single Joy (2024) by Melody Mason, which greatly encouraged me:
“Think of the forty years Moses spent herding sheep in the wilderness. Think of the additional forty years he spent herding the children of Israel, trying to get them safely into the Promised Land. Think of the fifteen years David fled for his life from King Saul, the thirteen years Joseph served as a slave and prisoner in Egypt, the fourteen years Jacob worked for his love Rachel, the years Hannah spent praying and waiting for a son, and the many quiet years Jesus spent working as a carpenter in Nazareth. The examples go on and on. While the waiting was not easy, God was always at work in the delay... Just because there is a delay in our love story, just because we haven’t yet seen our prayers answered for a child, or for a position in work or ministry, or for deliverance from suffering, it doesn’t mean it’s an absolute denial... The God of delays is not the God of denials!”
Be encouraged for God’s timing is perfect, and He is always at work, even in the waiting.
In this reflective piece, Adina Lupu recounts the unexpected journey of a Christmas parcel sent to a friend in the United States, which took an unplanned detour through Australia. Drawing parallels between the parcel’s misdirection and life’s unexpected delays, she explores themes of faith, purpose, and divine timing.
This Christmas season, I decided to surprise my friend in America by sending her a Christmas present. All nicely wrapped, I handed the box to the worker at the Post Office and cheerfully mentioned that this special parcel was destined for the USA. She processed the details, handed me the receipt with the tracking code, and I merrily went on my way, eagerly anticipating the smile this gift would bring to my friend’s face when she received it—within two weeks, as promised by the Post Office's advertised delivery times.
A few days later, I checked the parcel's journey online to see how much longer it would take. To my surprise, it had been delivered to a sorting hub in Australia. While I don’t claim to know much about international deliveries, I do know that Australia is in the opposite direction to the USA from Scotland, where I live.
Concerned, I decided to inquire at the Post Office. By this time, the parcel’s status had not changed; it seemed to be “stuck in transit.” That was when I realised the worker who processed the parcel had mistakenly recorded it as bound for Australia and had also misspelt the second line of the delivery address. I began to fear the parcel might never reach my friend due to the confusion.
But then, to my amazement, a few days ago, my friend joyfully informed me that the parcel had arrived. A journey meant to take just 14 days across the ocean turned into a 34-day global adventure. This experience made me reflect on life.
Has God ever intended for us to be in a specific place at a specific time to bless others, but we ended up heading in the wrong direction—perhaps due to our own choices or because we followed misguided advice? Along life’s path, have we ever found ourselves in a strange place we were never meant to be, feeling “lost in transit,” as if our value had been overlooked and our purpose forgotten?
I believe this is, in broader terms, the condition of humanity. Sin has set us on a path God never intended for us, causing our lives to take a wrong turn.
In my parcel’s case, a staff member at the Australian Post Office evidently went above and beyond. Instead of discarding it among the “lost items,” this person recognised its value—perhaps inspired by the festive message on the box, “Season’s Greetings from Scotland, don’t open until Christmas”—and arranged for it to be redirected to its rightful destination. This required attention, time, and possibly even extra resources.
Do you feel stuck in transit, lost, or on the wrong course? Perhaps you feel as if you’ve been cast aside, unnoticed and undervalued. Just as the Post Office employee intervened for my parcel, Jesus takes it upon Himself to redirect us, putting us back on the right track so we can reach our true destination. He sees our worth and never casts us aside, even if we’ve ended up in the wrong place because of our choices or the missteps of others.
Sometimes, the enemy of our souls may appear trustworthy, offering guidance that leads us astray. Yet, Jesus has made every provision for us to be redirected to the destination God has in mind for us. If you entrust your journey to Him, He will ensure you become a blessing in the right place at the right time.
But that’s not all!
Recently, I heard a sermon about waiting for God’s blessings. The speaker referenced Zachariah and Elizabeth, who prayed for many years for a child but faced long delays. He encouraged listeners, saying that even when it feels like God’s answer is delayed, He has not forgotten us.
I can relate to this personally. For 19 years, I have been praying for a specific blessing, yet the answer hasn’t come. It feels like the desired response has been delayed, much like my Christmas parcel, which took an additional 20 days to brighten my friend’s life.
I’ll leave you with a quote from the book My Single Joy (2024) by Melody Mason, which greatly encouraged me:
“Think of the forty years Moses spent herding sheep in the wilderness. Think of the additional forty years he spent herding the children of Israel, trying to get them safely into the Promised Land. Think of the fifteen years David fled for his life from King Saul, the thirteen years Joseph served as a slave and prisoner in Egypt, the fourteen years Jacob worked for his love Rachel, the years Hannah spent praying and waiting for a son, and the many quiet years Jesus spent working as a carpenter in Nazareth. The examples go on and on. While the waiting was not easy, God was always at work in the delay... Just because there is a delay in our love story, just because we haven’t yet seen our prayers answered for a child, or for a position in work or ministry, or for deliverance from suffering, it doesn’t mean it’s an absolute denial... The God of delays is not the God of denials!”
Be encouraged for God’s timing is perfect, and He is always at work, even in the waiting.
