This is a picture of my three-year old nephew Ty. (Isn’t he cute?) Ty is very precious to our family. You see, we waited for him and prayed for him for a long, long time. We all rejoiced when my brother and sister-in-law received word that they had been chosen by a birth mother to adopt her baby. But—when that baby was born, the birth mother changed her mind. A few grief-filled months later, another phone call came. Jason and Tammy had been selected again. And several months later, they met the birth family at the hospital in Dallas, Texas, and left carrying their tiny little gift from God.
Those who know me well are aware that I almost always have a “Ty Story” to tell or a new picture of Ty to show. However, my purpose for posting this picture is to offset the “less than flattering” story I am about to tell. This story shows a shadowy side. I guess he can’t help it—because he was born a human being and is plagued, as are we all, with a case of the human condition. J Anyway, at his little sister’s second birthday party a couple of months ago, there was an altercation. It was time to break the piñata. Unable to imagine a gaggle of two and three year olds wielding sticks while blindfolded, my brother bought a non-violent piñata---one that has ribbons hanging from it which are pulled by little ones, one at a time, until someone pulls the “magic” ribbon that causes the candy to drop. Now---just to set the scene. Every child gathered around the piñata was holding a gallon-size hefty bag bearing their name which would carry their loot. The piñata was stuffed to its gills with candy. Near the piñata along the wall, there was an extra five-gallon pail of candy that Jason and Tammy brought just to make sure that there was an abundance for all. At his party, no one was going home empty-handed. But when the piñata broke, little Ty unraveled. He dropped to the ground and wrapped his arms around all of the candy in his proximity. When the other kids came near his bounty, he scowled and gave them a shove! And, ironically, the more he fought to protect what was his, the fewer pieces of candy ended up in his Hefty bag.
My brother reached in and lifted Ty out of the fray. He said: “Ty, I don’t like seeing greed in you,” Between sobs, Ty asked: “Daddy, what’s greed?” J
Ironic, isn’t it? Ty’s parents had provided everything needed for the party. There was candy in abundance---and there was no chance that Ty was going to go home empty handed. In fact, most of the candy in the five gallon bucket now sits in their pantry at home. And, yet, on some level, Ty was fearful---that there wouldn’t be enough, that he’d have to do without, that others would grab his share. Ty was operating with a scarcity mentality. And we do that, too, don’t we? God has provided all we have needed and more---and yet we fear that there somehow won’t be enough, that we will run short, that we have to grab all we can get or we’ll have to go without.
But here’s the best part! We all still love Ty. His behavior that day didn’t change our love for him at all. And, fortunately, even when we embrace a scarcity mentality and compete and shove to get what we think we need, God still loves us as well. Our actions and attitudes when we fall victim to “the human condition” do nothing to change God’s love for us.
In this season of Thanksgiving when our attention turns in a more focused way to the celebration of our blessings, I invite you to focus on the abundance that God provides. Even in a difficult economy, even as we are in recovery from natural disasters, even as we struggle sometimes to believe that there is “enough” for what we need, may we notice God’s abundance in five-gallon buckets and other kinds of containers---and be grateful that God our Heavenly Parent always provides more than we need. When we know that God is that good, we can simply relax and open our hands to both receive and give.
And, by the way, isn’t my nephew a cutie?
Happy Thanksgiving!
On the Journey with You:
Jill
Those who know me well are aware that I almost always have a “Ty Story” to tell or a new picture of Ty to show. However, my purpose for posting this picture is to offset the “less than flattering” story I am about to tell. This story shows a shadowy side. I guess he can’t help it—because he was born a human being and is plagued, as are we all, with a case of the human condition. J Anyway, at his little sister’s second birthday party a couple of months ago, there was an altercation. It was time to break the piñata. Unable to imagine a gaggle of two and three year olds wielding sticks while blindfolded, my brother bought a non-violent piñata---one that has ribbons hanging from it which are pulled by little ones, one at a time, until someone pulls the “magic” ribbon that causes the candy to drop. Now---just to set the scene. Every child gathered around the piñata was holding a gallon-size hefty bag bearing their name which would carry their loot. The piñata was stuffed to its gills with candy. Near the piñata along the wall, there was an extra five-gallon pail of candy that Jason and Tammy brought just to make sure that there was an abundance for all. At his party, no one was going home empty-handed. But when the piñata broke, little Ty unraveled. He dropped to the ground and wrapped his arms around all of the candy in his proximity. When the other kids came near his bounty, he scowled and gave them a shove! And, ironically, the more he fought to protect what was his, the fewer pieces of candy ended up in his Hefty bag.
My brother reached in and lifted Ty out of the fray. He said: “Ty, I don’t like seeing greed in you,” Between sobs, Ty asked: “Daddy, what’s greed?” J
Ironic, isn’t it? Ty’s parents had provided everything needed for the party. There was candy in abundance---and there was no chance that Ty was going to go home empty handed. In fact, most of the candy in the five gallon bucket now sits in their pantry at home. And, yet, on some level, Ty was fearful---that there wouldn’t be enough, that he’d have to do without, that others would grab his share. Ty was operating with a scarcity mentality. And we do that, too, don’t we? God has provided all we have needed and more---and yet we fear that there somehow won’t be enough, that we will run short, that we have to grab all we can get or we’ll have to go without.
But here’s the best part! We all still love Ty. His behavior that day didn’t change our love for him at all. And, fortunately, even when we embrace a scarcity mentality and compete and shove to get what we think we need, God still loves us as well. Our actions and attitudes when we fall victim to “the human condition” do nothing to change God’s love for us.
In this season of Thanksgiving when our attention turns in a more focused way to the celebration of our blessings, I invite you to focus on the abundance that God provides. Even in a difficult economy, even as we are in recovery from natural disasters, even as we struggle sometimes to believe that there is “enough” for what we need, may we notice God’s abundance in five-gallon buckets and other kinds of containers---and be grateful that God our Heavenly Parent always provides more than we need. When we know that God is that good, we can simply relax and open our hands to both receive and give.
And, by the way, isn’t my nephew a cutie?
Happy Thanksgiving!
On the Journey with You:
Jill
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