“More Puuuhhhlease, Mummy,” demanded the toddler sitting in
the grocery cart seat pointing earnestly to the candy on the check-out shelf as
his mother wheeled the cart forward in line. “No, I’m not buying any candy,” his
mother responded with a sigh wearily gearing up for the latest temper tantrum
to erupt like a meteorologist with their eye on an upcoming storm.
Sure enough, first came the scrunching up and reddening of
his little face as the storm began to brew, next came the ear wrenching battle
cry loud enough to make even the deafest of person’s hear or a hearing person
go deaf; then the twisting of his body and the banging of feet as little
sneakers methodically banged against the steel cart. “More! More! More! More!” His cries rained down upon unresponsive ears,
becoming more intense as his mother refused to respond to his demands. Slowly she put items from the cart upon the checkout counter more concerned with whether or not she
would have enough money to cover all the items, or if she would have to put some
back…
Sometimes we act the same demanding way towards our own Heavenly Father. "I want this!" We say pointing urgently towards something in our lives and when He either is silent in His answer or says, "No." We pitch a full fledged temper tantrum forgetting that God knows what is best for us, better then we do.
What about being thankful for what we have? What about taking the time to acknowledge the blessings we have in our lives? We focus so much on what we don't have or what we want that we often don't take time to thank God for ALL the things we do have, including the people that we have in our lives. It is not until something major occurs that we look back and think how blessed we are indeed.
"Oh the good ol' days, remember when we..." We need to be thankful in the present tense. Now.
What about "paying it forward" even in some small measure towards someone else? This past weekend I went away with my family to the Cape, when I came back home I realized I had left the book I was currently reading at the Inn. A really good book on obtaining financial blessings. I called the inn to see if anyone had turned it in and no one had (of course not, it was a REALLY good book). At first I was disappointed, but then I got to thinking that maybe someone who needed it more than me (if that is even possible...) would benefit from it. In fact, I started praying for that person - that the book would minister to them and that God would use it to financially bless them. It made me feel better looking outside myself, and thinking of someone else. I shared this line of thought with a few of my girlfriends, and much to my surprise, this week I received a package in the mail. It was another copy of the book, from one of my friends who felt led to "pay it forward" and be a blessing to me. She had gone out with a friend for lunch earlier in the week and had brought money with her to pay for the lunch, but her friend had decided to be a blessing to her and treated her to lunch instead, so she decided to "pay that blessing forward" and use that money she had set aside to be a blessing to me. And she was. And in turn in being a blessing, we ARE blessed. We should do things not so that we will get back - but because it is a blessing to be a blessing, so in turn we ARE blessed.
"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)
Maybe we should think about "paying it forward" in our lives. Not being so concerned overly much about what WE want, what WE need and think about the needs of someone else. A small gesture means so much. When I was a child my mother had a saying (actually she made it into a chant), one that she said she had created over things we would say to her it went like this:
"Gimme, Gimme, can I have? Will you lend me? Can I borrow, I need, I want!"
It may have been something she could tease us about as children, and as a parent she taught us to think about others by teaching us how to give. As grown ups its not something that is very attractive.
Last February I was taken by surprise when I drove through Dunkin' Donuts to get coffee. As I pulled up to the window to pay for it, the cashier said, "two dollars of your order has been paid for by the person who was in front of you. They said to apply their change to the car behind them, and that car is you." I was touched, I was moved. A gesture so little made the start of my day so wonderful. They didn't even KNOW who I was, or that I was struggling financially in my new status of being a divorced, single parent. I immediately prayed that God would bless them a "double portion" of how He had used them to be a blessing to me.
What a joy it is to be a blessing to someone else. I truly believe that it is better to give than to receive.
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
"More puuuhhhhlllleaaase Lord. More. More of YOU, less of me. Use me Father. Help me to look outside of myself and be a blessing to someone else. Show me how I can be used by You to make a difference in the life of someone else. Not so that I will be glorified because of it, but so that YOU will receive all the glory, honor and praise. You gave Your life for me. The greatest gift of ALL. Help me to follow by your example and be a blessing to others in my life, however I possibly can - be it financially or with the gifts you have given me (my skills) or in some particular way you choose to reveal to me that I can be a blessing to someone else. In Jesus' most precious name I pray. Amen..."
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