Things

Things

One hundred years a go a child had more fun with a stick and a ball or stick and a hoop than our children have with all their electronic toys put together.

How do I know this? Simple, from history we know that children played for hours on end with very simple toys. Yes children play for hours with their computerized games but not the same game. Our children look for change in their playing, not sameness! But sameness is what children naturally crave. Just watch a young child view the same movie 50 times and still want to view it again.

We all like to explore new things but always from a solid base. The known is comfortable, the unknown is exciting. But that excitement comes from the danger involved. Children dabble in the unknown, they have to for so much of their world is not known to them. So they take comfort in the known. Watching a movie or playing with the same toy over and over is comforting to the child, a spiritual rest.

When I see children flitting from one game to another, from one thing to another I sense a problem. These children seem to be getting too little "rest". We are constantly pushing new things onto them. We balk at allowing them to watch (think 'rent') the same movie 50 times. We buy them a huge number of toys and then show disapointment when they choose the same old toy to play with. In an effort to please us, they hurt themselves, play with the new toy and get into a never ending stream of new things.

Of course, they NEED sameness. The WANT sameness. This is their spiritual rest. What then do they do to get their 'rest', why get new things! They find sameness in GETTING things. Since thy can't have the SAME thing over and over, they substitute GETTING over and over. This then is the sameness, GETTING. The thing becomes unimportant, the important thing is GETTING something.

This 'getting' then transfers to adulthood, we find we always want the latest and the greatest. Or, at least, that is how we rationalize it. What we REALLY want is to GET something new. It is the getting that is important, not the thing.

Matthew 6:31-34.

Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

What does this mean? We, too often, become blinded by our possesions, blinded to the light of Christ Jesus. Things become more important to us than the Lord. Possesions can become a burden. We spend money to buy them then we spend MORE money to protect them. In many communities we spend more for security (including taxes for police) than we do to educate our youth. THINGS have become more important than our children?!

Numbers 4:15.

...These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting.

We spend money for bigger and bigger houses to hold all our things. We pay for external storage to hold all these things. "Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Romans 8:3-8.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: and they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

A very nice and wonderful thing many families do for Christmas these days is, instead of giving a lot of gifts to there children they 'adopt' a underpriviledged family and provide gifts to the children of their adopted family. The experience the joy of giving, teach their children the joy of giving and provide a child with his or her best Christmas ever.

Matthew 19:21-24.

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Gifting is about giving not getting. We give gifts on Christmas, birthdays, and other holidays to commemorate the greatest gift of all time ...

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Amen