Chapter 7 - Mine

If you have just started reading, the whole Chapter 7 title might through you off a bit.  For the last several years I have been contemplating writing a book (probably will never happen) about all the things I have learned from my kids about God.  Sometimes it is the way they challenge me, other times it is by what they say and how I can relate our relationship to the relationship I have with God.

Up until about 6 months ago I have had a keyboard in my house since before my kids were born.  I don't know how many hours Noah and Taylor played on it.  My old one had all different songs and sounds that it could play and the boys would turn various ones on and dance.  It was quite funny at times.  Other times they would just sit down and play on it making up their own songs as they go along. 

I liked the keyboard, but the boys are getting old enough to where they could actually learn to play the piano and not just play ON the piano.  So I sold the keyboard.  I sold the keyboard in hopes that I would take the money I got for it, plus a little extra and purchase a nicer one that the boys would be able to learn on.  The old one didn't have weighted keys and I wanted them to have the closest thing they could to a real piano. (A real piano would be nice, but they are typically expensive and require maintenance)

I couldn't ever find one that I really liked so we have been without one for about 6 months.  I finally found one and after a little bit of negotiating I was able to get the new one that woudl be perfect for the boys to learn to play on.  (Yes, Lilly could learn on it too, but she is nowhere near old enough yet)

I brought it home last night and the first thing out of Taylor's mouth when he saw it was "Did you buy me a new piano?"  He was so excited and it warmed my heart to know that he was excited to get it as I was to get it for them.  He kept talking about how I got HIM a new piano and wanted to play HIS piano. 

As I begin to think about that and the conversations we had had about it, I begin to see how I often I have that same response with God and I am sure I am not the only one.

God allows something to become part of our lives or someone to come into our lives and we immediately begin to thank Him for it and take ownership of it, when in reality it still His.  I wonder how many times God brings things into  our lives for us to enjoy, but we see it as He is giving it to us as our own.

I think we should treat things like their our own in how we take care of them, but I think a much better perspective of live comes when we realize nothing we have is actually ours.  The more I think about it the more that concept really challenges me to look at how I live my life.  If I really believe God bought my life with the death of His son, my only response can be to offer my life back over to Him.  If my life is His and He is the creator of everything then I have nothing in my life that I can actually claim as my own.

I think having a perspective like this would actually make it easier to give up anything that God asks me to give up.  Seeing other people in that same light would also challenge me to think about how I interact with them.  Which correlates with  what Jesus said in that what we do unto the least of these we do unto Him.

Anyway, right now it's just a concept and a challenge I have given myself to really evaluate how often I truly see everything as God's compared to how often I lose focus and see things as mine.


Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20 NIV