Toys R Us always brings back great memories. Aisles and aisles of GI Joes, Nerf, Legos, power wheels, and the fun goes on and on forever...
And that is why my wife and I decided to take our two oldest there to pick out a special toy to reward them for their stellar efforts during this difficult time transitioning from 2 to 3 kids. We wanted to get them something they would really like, something they would play with more than 1 day. I was feeling really good! I felt a warmth in my heart as I prepared to shell out a couple greenbacks in order to give something to my kids just because. I figured I got a glimpse of how God feels as he blesses his people and gives good gifts. My son got a guitar which he will not put down. He will take you down if you try and take it away from him and he is 1 years old! He sleeps with it, eats with it, and would bathe with it if we'd let him. My daughter got a hoola-hoop and some toys for her dollies.
I quickly realized how much my son loved his guitar and how much my daughter loved trying to "play" with his guitar as much as possible. My son would scream, squeal, screeeeeech at the top of his lungs until he got his guitar back. This goes on back and forth at least 10 times a day but is slowly getting better. What did I just do!? In fact this was the first time we had bought our children toys just because and I was thinking, I am never going to buy toys again!!
I had to take my daughter aside and tell her God wants us to be thankful for things we have.
As I said that I felt the log in my own eye. Just the day before I was thinking about getting a new computer and upgrading an xbox 360 my mother in law let me borrow and other ways to spend money I didn't have on stuff that I didn't need.
Its funny how we, I, think that things will bring us happiness. If I just had this or that, I would be happy but I can't remember one thing that I have bought that has not disappointed me in one way or another. Here, I thought buying my children a special toy would bring them joy, but actually brought strife, envy, and discontentment. Its funny how we think know what we want and sometimes God just lets us have it and we find how foolish we were/are.
God knows our needs and promises to provide for us but we get confused with what we want and what we need.
When I feel myself yearning for "things" I remind my self of what Paul said:
So very true!
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