March 28, 2007

Step 3: . We made a decision to turn our life and will over to the care of God.

Scripture reading for today: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 NIV

My parents did a lot of things well. But they did some things GREAT. Under this category falls the celebration of Christmas. No matter what (seasons of financial feast or famine) - Santa didn’t skimp at the Jones’ house. When Santa has an excellent track record for delivering the goods, kids get pretty excited. We couldn’t wait for Santa to come. We were so excited on Christmas Eve that my parents had to go to great lengths to keep us in bed – at least for a few hours. Eventually my weary parents would drop off to sleep. One of the kids would rouse the others and the four of us would bolt for the Christmas tree. This was usually around four in the morning. I cannot think of a Christmas when my every need and want was not met. (There was that time when Santa left the light on my bike and the batteries ran out and were never replaced. I’m almost over that.)

But here’s the thing about needs and wants. They keep changing. As passionately as I longed for the Barbie doll playhouse, the ten speed bike, the desk set with a blotter in pink, the doll that was practically alive, the new clothes, the new books, the jewelry, etc….was it enough? Did a time come when I said, “Hey, folks, enough is enough. Last year, I got all I needed. This year, make sure Santa knows – I am not in want. “ That never happened. Every year brings a new set of needs and wants. But this passage says that I shall not be in want. So what does this mean?

Thought for today: It’s easy to write a devotional series designed to convince you that God is worthy of our trust. It would be a piece of cake to passionately preach on how God meets our every need. But you’re no fool. Easy talk of how God prospers us and blesses us, while true, isn’t the full story. You deserve better than someone like me trying to appeal to your basic instincts of lust and desire.

Thought for tomorrow: We’re almost finished with our month of devotionals focused on step three – making a decision to turn our life and will over to the care of God. Be prepared. God and Santa are not the same individual. Santa is all about bringing good boys and girls what they want; God is all about giving all his children (both the naughty and nice) what they need.

March 28
Teresa McBean