As I grew older, I always said I was going to save that car for my daughter to play with one day. It was a treasure from my childhood that I wanted to pass on. There were many years between me playing Barbie's and my future child playing with it; in the meantime, it sat on a shelf in my bedroom collecting dust. My sisters would see it and their little eyes would light up. They would ask me to play with it, but there was no way I was going to risk something happening to that car! No way. I'd rather it sit on the shelf covered in dust than risk them breaking off a headlight.
Finally, and I do mean finally, the time came that I had a daughter and that she was old enough to play with it. She thought it was really neat, but she wasn't into Barbies like I had been. It got some use out of it, all the while I'd be shouting, "Remember, that used to be Mommy's and I saved it just for you. You have to take care of it!" Yeah, what was I thinking?
A few months ago, while Randol was at the beach with Wesley's family, I cleaned out her room. Sitting in her closet, taking up almost a whole shelf, sat my old hot pink and bright yellow Barbie car, once again collecting dust as it had for so long at my parents house. I contemplated what to do with it. It certainly didn't need to be taking up so much room in my daughter's closet when she never plays with it anymore. I thought about giving it away, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. I thought about sticking it in the garage or the shed with all the other overflow of stuff we have. I couldn't, in that moment decide what to do with it, so I did what I always do, I stuck it on the desk in my room-to collect dust and stare at me until I decided its fate.
A few days later, Foster spotted it and got so excited. He grabbed my hand, dragged me into my room to show me and said, "Look! It's a big car, Mama!" I had two choices; I could hide it (in the garage of course) and not risk it getting damaged or I could relinquish this silly car and give it to my son, knowing all the headlights and the bumper and everything else WILL fall off of it. Much to his excitement, I handed him the car.
About a week later, my mother was at my house. She laughed when she saw my sons pushing my hot pink Barbie car down the hallway with Batman sitting in the drivers seat. She said, "I can't believe you are letting them play with that car!" She knew just what a prized possession it had been to me. It was then that I realized just how much it hadn't bothered me when the headlight and the bumper fell off, as it crashed into a big blue dump truck. I was just so happy to see someone playing with it. It's funny how all those years I'd been saving it unknowingly for my future sons-not my daughters, to play with!I am so glad that my boys are able to enjoy that car, but they have plenty of cars to enjoy already. It would not have been a big deal if they would've missed out on playing with the bright yellow Barbie limo. I have thought about how much fun my sisters could have had with that car, or if I had given it away to a needy child who didn't have any fun toys to play with. They might have even passed it on to some other child by now. So many more people could have enjoyed that silly car, if I hadn't chosen to be selfish and let it collect dust for so long.
It is so easy to forget that all that we have, is not really ours at all. The house we live in and the cars we drive, are all God's provision for us. One day, we will be accountable for what we've done with God's stuff! Jesus tells a parable about a wealthy man who decides to build a bigger barn and store all of his grain and possessions for himself. He decides to sit around and do nothing, since he has so much stored up for the years to come. God calls him a fool and the man dies before he is able to enjoy the abundance of his wealth. Jesus warns, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:13-21).
Sometimes I have to reevaluate my life and see, just what have I put on the shelf to collect dust because I don't want to risk something happening to it. What have I claimed as "Mine" and not God's? Is there anything He wants me to use to further His kingdom that I am selfishly holding back? It could be giving up a few hours a week to teach Sunday school. It might be holding off to buy that new appliance so that you can sponsor a youth to go on a mission trip. It could be something as simple as driving across town to bring a meal to someone. It might be a talent you have that you are either using for the wrong reasons or have just abandoned it for a long while. What does God want you to do with what He has given you? Look around and see just how good God is. Don't spend your life looking at what others have or hording what you do have, for yourself. Give, just as He has given to you.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need
but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue
but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:16-18
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