Tuesday, August 20, 2013

What's Mine Is...Not Mine?


It's no secret that little kids need help to learn to share. We are going through that phase here at the Casa with Li'l G. Most of the time she is really great with her brother. In fact, she is a master at sharing his toys. That's right, what hers is hers and what's his is hers.

Now, to be fair, she does love to play with him and is very good with him most of the time. It just happens that there are also numerous times when she feels that she isn't done with a toy and he should not be looking at it, breathing on it, glancing over at it, or thinking about it, let alone touching it. We usually then hear a "that's mine dawwwt!" Why she calls him that we still don't know. Either way, dawt is nawt to be touching her stuff...or his...if she's not done playing. Of course, then there those moments where she will go in search of toys for him to play with because he is bored or upset or it makes him laugh. Overall, she is doing pretty spectacularly.

As I was listening to her the other day, yelling at dawt and then bringing him toys, it dawned on me that we are much the same way as adults. Overlooking the blatant problems we have with sharing our goods, time and talent in a materialistic world, even as disciples we have a hard time. It is easy to be generous when we get to control how, when, why and to what extent. Sacrificial sharing, where I am missing something because I have chosen to share it instead - that is something that I am still working on.  

How many times have I found something I like, maybe even need, and have kept it for myself instead of passing it along to someone else who needed it. My inclination is always to serve myself first in many cases. Why is it so hard to trust that if we take care of another's needs first, our needs will also be met (and in so many cases exceeded)? Perhaps for the rest of the year I will do a better job of really examining what I need versus what I want, and comparing that to what the rest of the world is truly in need of beyond the Gospel message. That, of course, is the first thing I am most guilty of hoarding.


We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 1 John 6:16-17 (NRSV)




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3 comments:

  1. Great reflection. I shall remember this next time lil' A ends up in time out for having a complete mental breakdown because Joey touched his car line!

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  2. Great reflection! And we're right there too in the sibling (not) sharing department...

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  3. Oh my - you totally nailed me on this one! Especially when it comes to food. My DH is the type who shows love by sharing his food and wanting to have a taste of what I'm eating. Fat chance buster! If I could just remember that this is his language of love...

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