Matthew 6:24-27
“You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around.
“So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things—food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body—and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?"
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Timmy and Nathan LOVE Legos®. Zola can take ‘em or leave ‘em…but she will occasionally play with them, too. If you have priced Lego® sets, you know they are not cheap! A simple “erector set” that creates a figure only a few inches square can cost almost $20. And as the saying goes among adults with kids…”You can never have too many Legos®!” So we have searched for ways to add to our collection without breaking the bank. We will occasionally buy a brand-new set…but we “shop around” for the best deal and lowest price whenever possible.
Lately, I discovered several eBay sellers who offer Legos® by the pound…cleaned, sanitized used pieces that can spark the imagination of any junior creator and offer hours of fun. For $20, I can get up to two pounds of these pieces and mini figures…literally thousands of new Legos®! I divide these up into plastic bags…and once in a while, I will surprise the boys (or reward good behavior) with a new assortment!
Today, Zola went to church with friends, so we just had Timmy and Nathan with us. When we got home from church, I gave each boy a bag of “new” Legos® to open while I prepared lunch. You should have seen them! They were beyond excited. It was like Christmas Day. They squealed with excitement as they discovered crystals, swords and other neat accessories…along with a couple of new, cool “mini-figs.” They created characters and counted their “loot” and showed their Uncle Greg the neat things they were making. They could not have cared less that these were not “boxed sets.” They did not even ask whether these were new pieces or not. They used their imagination rather than a booklet of instructions, and they had a great time!
When the children come to our house, they never worry that there won’t be food, toys, and plenty of fun and love. Occasionally they will see a commercial for some toy that they tell us they simply MUST have…but it’s rare. They are generally worry-free…and life is great! Do you remember those carefree days?
Sometimes, I think we need to return to the simplicity of our childhood. I know we can’t really do this - that we have jobs to do…bills to pay…people counting on us for all sorts of things. But we DO still have a Heavenly Father who is ready, willing and able to meet many of the needs that we waste time worrying about on a regular basis.
Lately, I’ve done my fair share of “working” my prayers…and turning them over and over in my mind. This is completely ridiculous, and I know it. But sometimes, we can’t seem to let go and trust God…and the devil absolutely DANCES when we do this! I can almost feel God’s disappointment, as He politely stands in the corner and wonders why on earth I won’t trust Him. I’m here to tell you, I am so ready to do this!!!
Stop and ask yourself what worries you these days. Then consider if this is really how God wants you to expend your energy. Isn’t it time you stopped worrying about so many things that are not really ours to handle…and let God have complete control? Isn’t it time we got serious about operating in Christian faith? We CAN be a carefree kid again in so many ways…God’s kid! Will this be the day that we begin?
©2016 Debbie Robus
“You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around.
“So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things—food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body—and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?"
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Timmy and Nathan LOVE Legos®. Zola can take ‘em or leave ‘em…but she will occasionally play with them, too. If you have priced Lego® sets, you know they are not cheap! A simple “erector set” that creates a figure only a few inches square can cost almost $20. And as the saying goes among adults with kids…”You can never have too many Legos®!” So we have searched for ways to add to our collection without breaking the bank. We will occasionally buy a brand-new set…but we “shop around” for the best deal and lowest price whenever possible.
Lately, I discovered several eBay sellers who offer Legos® by the pound…cleaned, sanitized used pieces that can spark the imagination of any junior creator and offer hours of fun. For $20, I can get up to two pounds of these pieces and mini figures…literally thousands of new Legos®! I divide these up into plastic bags…and once in a while, I will surprise the boys (or reward good behavior) with a new assortment!
Today, Zola went to church with friends, so we just had Timmy and Nathan with us. When we got home from church, I gave each boy a bag of “new” Legos® to open while I prepared lunch. You should have seen them! They were beyond excited. It was like Christmas Day. They squealed with excitement as they discovered crystals, swords and other neat accessories…along with a couple of new, cool “mini-figs.” They created characters and counted their “loot” and showed their Uncle Greg the neat things they were making. They could not have cared less that these were not “boxed sets.” They did not even ask whether these were new pieces or not. They used their imagination rather than a booklet of instructions, and they had a great time!
When the children come to our house, they never worry that there won’t be food, toys, and plenty of fun and love. Occasionally they will see a commercial for some toy that they tell us they simply MUST have…but it’s rare. They are generally worry-free…and life is great! Do you remember those carefree days?
Sometimes, I think we need to return to the simplicity of our childhood. I know we can’t really do this - that we have jobs to do…bills to pay…people counting on us for all sorts of things. But we DO still have a Heavenly Father who is ready, willing and able to meet many of the needs that we waste time worrying about on a regular basis.
Lately, I’ve done my fair share of “working” my prayers…and turning them over and over in my mind. This is completely ridiculous, and I know it. But sometimes, we can’t seem to let go and trust God…and the devil absolutely DANCES when we do this! I can almost feel God’s disappointment, as He politely stands in the corner and wonders why on earth I won’t trust Him. I’m here to tell you, I am so ready to do this!!!
Stop and ask yourself what worries you these days. Then consider if this is really how God wants you to expend your energy. Isn’t it time you stopped worrying about so many things that are not really ours to handle…and let God have complete control? Isn’t it time we got serious about operating in Christian faith? We CAN be a carefree kid again in so many ways…God’s kid! Will this be the day that we begin?
©2016 Debbie Robus
