The Buttons That Almost Made Me Miss the Dress

I once made a heartfelt du‘aa. I cried. I begged.
I fasted. I wrote it down.
I imagined it.
I trusted that when it came, I’d embrace it with joy.
And then…
It came.

But it was missing…
Two buttons.
Just two.
And somehow, I almost returned the entire garment.

Not because it wasn’t beautiful. Not because it didn’t fit. Not because it wasn’t everything I prayed for.But because it didn’t come exactly how I imagined it would.

SubḥānAllāh.

What is this part of us that prays with desperation but receives with arrogance?
Why do we expect divine blessings to arrive in perfect packaging, with no test, no surrender, no stretch of the soul?

It took me days—days—to realise I had almost fumbled a gift—an answered du‘aa—because I was fixated on my expectations, not on Allaah’s wisdom.

I was standing in front of a perfectly crafted blessing…

But ego and self-righteousness blurred my vision.
My healing was trying to arrive, but I was busy critiquing the buttons.
The dress had beauty. Purpose. Presence.
But it didn’t have perfection—my version of perfection.

Who told you your specifications are better than the Designer’s?

Who told you you know how your blessing must arrive?

Was it you…
Or your impatience?
Was it you…
Or your inner child trying to avoid disappointment?
Was it you…
Or your trauma, still scared of receiving with both hands?

“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you,
and that you love a thing which is bad for you.
And Allaah knows while you know not.”
— Qur’an 2:216

We say we trust Al-Wakeel…
Until His plan comes with missing buttons.

But maybe the missing buttons weren’t a flaw.
Maybe they were an invitation: To grow up.
To surrender.
To trust the Designer, not the design.
To receive with maturity what we begged for in immaturity.
To see the diamond in messy wrappers—and not walk away.

Hidden Truths: Sometimes the “Flaw” Is the Mercy
Sometimes, we don’t know how to receive softness because we’ve worn pain for so long, we assume everything good must have a trap. Sometimes, we only know how to want.
We haven’t yet learned how to honour what arrives.

And the sad part?

Some of us are still waiting for what we already received—but walked away from.
We’re crying for the dress that was already delivered…but dismissed because it didn’t have two shiny buttons.

Reflection Questions
1.⁠ ⁠Have you ever rejected a blessing because it didn’t look how you imagined?

2.⁠ ⁠Are you delaying your joy trying to control the fine print of your answered prayer?

3.⁠ ⁠What “buttons” are you stuck on right now—keeping you from seeing the beauty of what’s already yours?

4.⁠ ⁠Are you mistaking a test of trust for a sign to give up?

What To Do If You Mishandled A Gift From God
✅ Repent—sincerely, softly.
✅ Acknowledge your error without shame; shame is from Shaytaan, but reflection is from Rahmah.
✅ Thank Him for even letting you realise before it was too late.
✅ Ask Him to return the blessing—if it’s still khayr for you.
✅ Receive it differently this time—with humility, not entitlement.
✅ Receive it as a student of Qadr, not a manager of outcomes.

Gentle Truth:
Stop self-sabotaging in the name of “standards.”
Stop rejecting rahmah because it didn’t come in Gucci packaging.
Stop being too composed to say, “Thank You, Rabb.”
Stop confusing “lack of buttons” for “lack of barakah.”

Sometimes, your du‘aa arrives with a test:
Will you trust the Designer, or only your design?

Action Points:
Surrender your expectations at the door of the Most High.
Revisit the blessings you once side-eyed.
Make a gratitude list of things you didn’t deserve—but still received.
Say Alhamdulillaah—out loud, with your chest.
Pray:
“Yā Allāh, I’m sorry for my ingratitude. I see now. Please restore what I mishandled—if it’s still good for me. And if not, give me something even better and help me receive it with sabr, shukr, and a heart free of self-sabotage.”

✨ Final Reminder:

You don’t need a perfect blessing. You need a humble heart to hold it.

You don’t need more signs.
You need a soul that knows how to interpret what’s already arrived.

“And your Lord is never forgetful.” — Qur’an 19:64

This post is your nudge:
Don’t reject what you prayed for because it didn’t look like your Pinterest vision board.
Don’t be so addicted to outcomes that you miss divine orchestration.
Don’t walk away from grace because you didn’t like the wrapping paper.

Read this. Reflect. Repent. Realign.

And maybe—call back that blessing you pushed away. There’s still time. And He is still the Most Merciful.

With Love,
Dr Aishah Adams

The Mind Doctor
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