Manna For Moms

Devotions for Moms Like You!

2013

Serving Royalty

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Two days ago, I threw a birthday party for a king. Nobody saw Him, but He was there. He really enjoyed the results of the time and effort I had put into the party. He loved the gifts and the games. And He laughed with us as we took turns beating the piñata with a special stick. It might have looked like the birthday party was for my nine-year-old son Kenny, but it was for a King.

Yesterday morning, the King’s allergies were bothering Him, and He was sick. I comforted Him and kept Him extra close to my side. I told Him I was sorry He was feeling sick and that I hoped He would get better soon. I prayed for Him. It might have looked like I was tending to my seven-year-old daughter Lindsey, but I was ministering to the King.

By now you’ve figured out that the King I’m referring to is Jesus. And you might think I’m saying merely that Jesus wanted me to serve my children, and I obeyed, and that’s what I mean when I say I served Him. But there’s far more to it than that.

In the 25th chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells a group of people that they ministered to Him in a variety of ways. They question this. “Lord, when did we ever minister to you in prison, or when did we ever see you sick or naked and help you?” they ask. Jesus tells them, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers, you did for me.”

If that’s true—and since Jesus said it, we know that it is—then the things we do for our children have incredible significance because Jesus takes it personally. So I didn’t just make sure my children ate breakfast—I fed Jesus Himself. You didn’t just help your daughter tie her shoes—you helped Jesus clothe Himself properly.

Everything you and I do as moms in service to our families is done directly to Jesus. It matters, moms. You’re not merely doing the same things you’ve done a thousand times before, you’re ministering directly to the Lord.

True, you don’t see Jesus’ face when you look at the little boy in that high chair. It’s not His chubby cheeks you see smeared with the same spaghetti sauce that’s in his hair and all over the tray. But He’s there.

It might not look like Jesus whom you’re driving to school, to a playdate, or to a doctor’s appointment. But it is. Because Jesus said that when you drive your daughter somewhere she needs to go—when you do something for someone else—you are doing it directly for Him.

Precious mom, do you think of your motherhood this way? That all of your service is directly ministering to the Lord? That in fact, as a mom, you can minister to Him in ways that others cannot?

You have a unique and precious calling—the calling not only to serve your children, but to serve Jesus in some very practical and direct ways. What you do matters, mom, and you matter—far more than you may realize.

What have you done for Jesus today? I bet it’s more than you think.

Matthew 25:40—The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (NIV; see verses 31-46 for the whole story)

Lost Tooth

Megan Breedlove No Comments

A couple weeks ago, Lindsey lost a tooth. I mean, she really lost it.

Her tooth had fallen out at school, and the school nurse gave her a tiny plastic treasure chest to put the tooth in. When the neighbor brought Lindsey home, Lindsey came bounding up the steps to show me her treasure. The only problem was that when she opened the treasure chest, the tooth was no longer there.

We glanced quickly all around the porch, but no tooth. We traveled Lindsey’s route backwards to the neighbor’s driveway, but still we didn’t see the tooth. We asked the neighbor to look in her truck, but she didn’t see the tooth either.

Lindsey was crushed.

I made her come in and do her homework, because despite her grief, it had to be done. After she finished, Lindsey asked if she could search some more outside for the tooth. I agreed, and I helped her search. We all did. But no tooth.

Have you ever tried to search for a tiny, white tooth in a gravel driveway that had lots of small, white rocks, or in a yard that also had plenty of small, white rocks? We did. And we didn’t find it.

We still hadn’t found it by the time my husband came home from work. He helped look, and he didn’t find it either. Suppertime came, and I made Lindsey stop searching and come inside. She came obediently, but the minute supper was over, back outside she went, searching. “God, please let me find it,” I heard her praying over and over. “Please.”

I prayed too. In fact, we all prayed for Lindsey to find her tooth. Then I went back outside to help her search. It was getting dark. I was getting hopeless. Once again, we traveled the path between the neighbor’s driveway and our front porch without finding it. And then….

“Would you please ask your mom if we can look in y’all’s truck again?” I asked the neighbor girl, who was helping us search.

She went back inside, and soon I heard the locks on the truck click open. We began to search, Lindsey and me on one side, Gisselle on the other. “Is this your tooth?” Gisselle said suddenly, extending something toward Lindsey.

Lindsey and her toothLindsey took the object. She examined it. “Oh, thank you!” she exclaimed, wrapping the surprised Gisselle in a huge hug. “And thank you, God!”

Thank you, God, I prayed silently. You cared, and you answered.

The woman who was searching for a lost coin or the shepherd searching for a lost sheep (see Luke 15 for both stories) had nothing on Lindsey. She searched more than diligently, refusing to give up. She just kept searching and praying until it was found.

You and I would do well to be as diligent as Lindsey in pursuing our requests of God—to refuse to give up. It is true that God sometimes says ‘no’ to our requests. But when He hasn’t said no, we need to keep asking.

Too often, we don’t ask all that diligently because we don’t have much faith that God is going to do anything about our problem. We know that He can decline to grant our requests, and we figure He probably will. So we don’t ask all that hard. We ask a couple of times and then give up. Oh well, we tried. But Jesus says that isn’t the way we’re supposed to do it.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of a judge who didn’t fear God or care about any of the people coming before him. Yet there was one poor woman who kept coming to the judge asking for justice—for him to do something. And the judge thought to himself (I’m paraphrasing here), I better just help her, or she’s going to wear me out by coming before me all the time! So he granted her request.

Jesus then made the point that if a mere man will help someone who keeps asking, how much more ready is God to help those who ask Him!

Again, it’s true that God sometimes says no. Sometimes, He says ‘wait’. But there are other times when we could have so much more than what we have if we would just ask for it, and keep asking.

What is there in your life that you need desperately? Are you asking God for it, or have you given up? My friend, don’t give up until God says ‘no’. Don’t put yourself in the position of missing out on something you could have had just because you gave up too soon.

Keep asking.

James 4:2b—You do not have, because you do not ask. (ESV)

Luke 18:1—Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (NIV)

Temptation

Megan Breedlove 1 Comment

For awhile now, I’ve been on a diet, attempting to lose the last of the baby weight and return to my pre-pregnancy shape. And I’ve discovered something—that I’m not as easily able to resist certain types of temptation as I thought I was.

DoritosDoritos, for example. If they’re in the house, I will eat them. I may start with just one, but then there’ll be another one, and then a small bowlful. They don’t have that many calories, I tell myself. Besides, I’ll be really good the rest of the day.

It never works like that. Before I know it, I’ve consumed an unknown (but probably pretty high) quantity of nacho cheesy calories, and I still have half the day to go. During the rest of that day, I have not only to eat supper, but also to eat the rest of the Doritos I’ll probably eat.

In other words, I’m terrible at eating Doritos moderately. The only way for me not to eat way too many is not to eat that first one.

Realistically speaking, it doesn’t matter all that much whether I eat too many Doritos on occasion. But it does matter if I approach sin and temptation with the same attitude I approach Doritos. Let me explain.

God has told us to stay away from certain things—lust, greed, pride, and jealousy, to name just a few. If we stay far away from those things—if we refuse to allow ourselves to enjoy even a small portion of them—we’re fine. But if we think we can engage in “just a little bit” of gossip, or “not that much” greed, we’re making a dangerous mistake.

You see, just like eating Doritos (or whatever your favorite “forbidden” food is), partaking of a little bit of sin will lead to more. We speak a few words of gossip, and no lightning from heaven zaps us, so we figure gossip isn’t really all that bad. But the bad effects of it are building up in our system, not the least of which is causing us to want more.

Even with that first word of gossip, we’ve sinned and done something we shouldn’t do. Just because we don’t see immediate consequences doesn’t mean that we haven’t harmed ourselves. We’re already on the wrong side of the line.

Adam and Eve would have empathized with us. God had told them they could eat the fruit of every tree except one—one!—and they decided that one was just what they had to have. Look what happened. That “one” sin led to more and brought with it disastrous consequences, not only for them but for all mankind.

Don’t dabble in sin, my friends. You’ve been deceived by Satan if you think you can do “just a little” and then stop. You can’t. He’s far craftier than that, and you may be far weaker than you think. If you start allowing yourself to sin “just a little bit”, you’re going to do it more and more. And whether or not you see the consequences right then, you’re going to go to far. In fact, even with the first morsel of sin, you’ve already gone too far.

Is there some sin you’re dabbling with today? Is there something you’re engaging in and refusing to put to death in your life because it’s “not that bad”? You’re already walking on the wrong side of the line and don’t know it, for Scripture tells us that we can be sure our sin will find us out.

Get rid of your sin, whatever it is. Just like I can’t have Doritos in the house, get that favorite sin out of your spiritual house. Don’t leave even a single morsel of it around to tempt you.

Numbers 32:23—But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

Finished

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Holy BibleTwo days ago, I finished the manuscript for my third book, Chaotic Joy: Finding Abundance in the Messiness of Motherhood. I still need to change some things before sending it to my editor, and then, of course, I’ll need to make any revisions she suggests. But the lion’s share of the work is done.

I’m relieved. Yes, I enjoyed writing the book, but I’m also glad to be finished. Now I can fine-tune the details and turn it into the best book it can be, one that God will hopefully use to touch the lives of thousands of women and lead them into a closer relationship to Himself.

And the thought occurs to me, as I sit here poised to go through the rest of the editing and finishing process with my book, that God has written a book too—and His was perfect just the way it was.

Now let me be clear about one thing: I am not comparing the worth of my book in any way to the worth of God’s Book—the Bible. But through calling me to author three books, God has taught me more about Himself as the ultimate Author. It’s this that I want to share with you.

You see, God wants the same thing I want for my book. He wants thousands (well, He wants billions) of people to read it, and He wants their lives to be changed. And to that end, He crafted the best Book He could, a Book so good it’s perfect. He did this by inspiring mere human beings to write the words that God knew would change lives, all over the world even two thousand years after they were written.

Some of you will eventually buy my book when it is released. That’s great. I presume you’ll read it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it and find it meaningful. But what’s even better is for you to own a copy of God’s Word and to read it—and not just once, but regularly.

His Book isn’t meant to be purchased and read once, then to sit on a shelf untouched. It’s designed to be read regularly and often. Even though you’ve read it before, it’s possible for you to find something new each time you read it, because the Holy Spirit can make it new in your heart.

Don’t think you have time to read it? Even the busiest mom has five minutes—or even two minutes—per day which she can spend reading the Book.

Don’t think it has anything new to teach you? I guarantee you’ll be surprised.

Doesn’t seem interesting? Then you haven’t read it for what it really is, a way to know God better. Theologian John R. W. Stott has said that “the Bible is God preaching”. In other words, when you read the words someone really wants to say, you’ll get to know that person better. It’s the same way with God. Read His words, and get to know Him better.

Once you get to know Him better, you’ll love Him more and more, because you’ll realize to a greater and greater extent how truly lovable He is. And once you come to know and love Him more—well, that’s when things really take off, spiritually speaking. How could you refuse benefits like that?

If you only read my book once, fine. But if you only read God’s Book once, you’re making a huge mistake.

2 Peter 1:21—For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (ESV)

2 Timothy 3:16—All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the [wo]man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (KJV)

Can’t Wait

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Cereal in a bowlEvery Friday night, we have a special custom at our house, one that all of us look forward to. Friday night is “Restaurant Night,” when the kids can have virtually whatever they want for supper (as long as it’s anywhere close to within reason, and as long as Mommy doesn’t have to cook it). Usually, the kids choose breakfast cereal because it’s easy for them to prepare and they enjoy it.

This past Friday, we were running low on cereal. I knew the kids would probably want to choose cereal that evening for supper, yet we were running out of options. So I made a trip to the store primarily for different kinds of cereal. Of course, being at the store, I found several other things we needed, and I came home with six or seven bags. I set them down in the kitchen and came to find my husband at the computer and let him know I was home.

Ellie and Kenny were standing right there. “Did you buy cereal?” Ellie asked as soon as she saw me.

“Yes, I did,” I said.

“I can’t wait to see what cereals you bought!” Kenny exclaimed, throwing his arms around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He then ran off toward the kitchen to check.

And I thought, “You know, I bet that’s the attitude God would love for us to have with Him.” God wants us to have the same attitude of expectancy toward Him and the goodness of His gifts that Kenny had toward me. “I can’t wait to see what you’re going to give me, God! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Yet too often, we don’t expect much from Him. It’s true that God may or may not be planning on blessing us with material things, and that expecting those things doesn’t mean God has to give them to us. It’s also true that being greedy doesn’t get us anywhere with God—quite the opposite, in fact. But sometimes, He does give us material blessings. Besides that, he always gives us abundant spiritual blessings.

God, I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do in this situation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

God, I can’t wait to see how you’re going to restore peace to my soul. Thank you!

God, I can’t wait to experience the joy I know you will bring from this situation. Thank you!

Precious mom, we can approach God expectantly, knowing we will receive something from Him. He’s already promised us every spiritual blessing (see Eph. 3:1). We know we’re going to receive. So we can look forward to whatever He’s promised, knowing that a good and perfect gift is coming our way.

True, we don’t get some things we ask for because they don’t fit in with God’s plan for our lives. But other times, we’re told in Scripture that we don’t have because we don’t ask, or that we ask wrongly. (See James 4:2.) So not only can we wait expectantly for God’s good and perfect gifts, but we can ask Him for what we need!

Are you waiting on God? Are you asking Him for anything? Why not try the same approach Kenny tried with me: “I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do, God. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

James 1:17—Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (NIV)

1 Corinthians 2:9—However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (NIV)

Wish it Were Christmas

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Christmas StarThe sights: red and green; Christmas trees; sparkly gold; bustling shoppers; brightly-wrapped presents; children with eager faces.

The sounds: joyful carols; the oven door opening and shutting as you bake cookies; cheerful greetings; ripping tape from the tape dispenser so you can wrap gifts; excited voices.

The smells: cinnamon; gingerbread; pine; burning candles; crisp winter air.

The season: Christmas.

I love Christmas (can you tell?). I love everything about it. And I wish it were Christmas right now.

Instead, the days are still warm. Hot, even. The children have only been back in school for two weeks. I’ve only rounded up a couple of gifts.

But I wish it were Christmas now.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy summer and fall. I do. Each season has its own charm. I love the lazy days of summer and the brisk, cool days of fall. But I love Christmas more.

Three of the things I love most about Christmas are these: focusing on Jesus and His birth; getting to buy things for my family and friends and anticipating their delight when they open what I’ve purchased; and seeing everyone try to be just a little nicer at this special time of year.

As I sat thinking about these things I love, I realized something. True, Christmas is still three-and-a-half months away. But I can make it a little more like Christmas right now. All year round, actually.

The things I love most about Christmas can be created throughout the rest of the year as well. It’s not only at Christmas that I can focus on Jesus. I can make it a point to think about Him all year long. In fact, I not only can, but should. Why should my thoughts about how amazing it is that He came to earth be restricted to the month of December? Or why should it be only in December that I make it a point to think about Him? The answer, of course, is that it shouldn’t.

Neither should it be only in December that I try to do things for my family and friends that will delight them. This doesn’t mean that I always have to buy them things (though sometimes I might). But I can be purposeful in my efforts to surprise and delight my loved ones. Why should I think about giving them joy only in the month of December?

And being just a little nicer? Once again, something I can do all year long. It’s not only during Advent that I can be a little more patient, a little more generous, or a little more kind. Why not start now?

So it may not be Christmas yet, but it can be like Christmas. You see, that Child who was born more than 2,000 years ago made it possible for it to be Christmas in our hearts all the time—for our hearts to be filled with peace, love, joy, and generosity not just during one season but throughout the year.

Why wait for December 25th? Let it be Christmas now.

Luke 2:14—Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (KJV)

Mary and Jesus

Labor Days

Megan Breedlove 2 Comments

Maybe your labor in bringing your child into your home began with contractions. Maybe it began with filling out agency paperwork. Maybe you labored in having to recover from a planned C-section (as I did four out of the five times).

Whatever the case, you labored to bring your child into your home.

And then the real labor began.

I labored with one of my children for 14.5 hours. It was a Pitocin-induced labor, so you can imagine what those contractions were like. And I didn’t have any medication, because I wanted to try natural childbirth. But when the induction failed due to lack of progress, I opted for a C-section.

Even those 14.5 hours were a piece of cake compared to the labor I’ve gone through with my son since his birth.

I don’t mean that he’s a difficult child; he’s not. But as every mother knows, the actual physical labor (whether due to contractions or to completing home studies and paperwork) is the easy part. Even when it seems like it will last forever, you know it won’t. There will eventually come an end when your baby is born into the world or your child is brought into your home.

Then comes the hard part.

That’s because the labor after you bring a child into your family is never-ending. True, you may have some moments or even weekends of relaxation, but there is always labor to go back to.

Nursing your baby. Fixing lunches. Driving the carpool. Cleaning up after a sick child. Disciplining your child. Falling into bed exhausted. Then doing it all over again the next day (or maybe even in the middle of that night).

And a mom’s daily, ongoing labor is little recognized. Rarely do we hear the expressions of appreciation we wish we received. Rarely does someone tell us we do an amazing job. It’s not every day that someone throws her little arms around us and says, “Thank you for being the best mommy in the world.”

I’ve written elsewhere about how God can and will affirm us anytime we need to feel appreciated (see, for example, my book Well Done, Good and Faithful Mommy). But I wanted us to take a minute today to stop and realize that God knows exactly how we feel.

He puts in far more labor in parenting us than we do in parenting our children, yet rarely do we stop to praise Him for His amazing Fatherhood. Rarely do we tell Him how much we appreciate Him (unless He’s just done something for us). Rarely do we (figuratively speaking) throw our arms around Him and thank Him for being the best Daddy ever.

The next time you put in a long day with your children, let that be a reminder to you to stop and connect with God. Take some time and thank Him for the long day He just put in with you. After all, at least you get some sleep, whereas He never sleeps. He’s constantly watching over you and taking care of you.

You can’t force the people around you to completely meet your needs for appreciation, because they’re not made to do so. But you can make it a point to fully appreciate your Father—or at least to appreciate Him as much as it is possible for an imperfect human being to do so—and to tell Him so.

When was the last time you stopped to thank and praise God for His care of you? Why not do so right now?

Psalm 121:2-4—My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. (KJV)

Better Off

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Phil holding TimmyYesterday morning, our church held an awards ceremony for the children during the education hour. This ceremony was designed to recognize the children for the work they’ve done all year long in attending Sunday School, demonstrating good effort in learning, mastering Bible knowledge, etc. There was also a light lunch served, which is always welcome.

About two-thirds of the way through the ceremony, Phil got Timmy out of the nursery so he could feed him some lunch. Timmy didn’t seem to be interested in eating it, though. He was restless. So Phil got up and stood with him at the back of the room. This didn’t pacify Timmy, however. He wanted down. He struggled and made those little “eh-eh-eh” noises that mean “Put me down!” Phil let him down, ready to scoop him up again if necessary.

It wasn’t. Timmy took three steps toward the middle of the room, looked around at the crowd, and turned and darted back to Phil, stretching his arms up to be picked up. Thereafter, he was content to remain in Phil’s arms.

You and I know how he felt. There have been times in all of our lives when we weren’t content with the situation we were in. When we wanted out of it. When we kicked and struggled and protested. Sometimes when we do that, God remains firm and refuses to allow us to have our own way (thanks be to Him). Other times, God says, “Okay, fine. You want your own way? I’ll let you see what that’s like.”

At first, we’re happy. Maybe even relieved. We start toward the Promised Land, whatever that is—that thing we’d previously been denied. But then, hopefully, we stop. We realize, Wait a minute. This is big and scary. This is not for me, and we turn and run back to our Father’s arms.

“See?” God says, receiving us back. “That was not for you.”

Other times, however, we wade right into the middle of what we think is the Promised Land before realizing, far too belatedly, that it isn’t what we thought it would be. It’s full of heartbreak and confusion, not joy and peace. God was right after all. We were wrong.

In those moments, moms, we sometimes make the awful mistake of assuming that it’s too late. That God won’t want us back anymore. That we’re stuck with the path we’ve chosen. That there’s no way to go back.

But there’s always a way back, and a Person to receive us when we return.

You see, no sin has to separate us from God permanently. That’s exactly why Jesus died—so we could be close to God for all eternity. If we wander (or run) too far away, we can always turn back, because God is always willing to receive us. He’s always waiting for us to come home and realize that we were better off with Him, even though we didn’t have what we thought we wanted.

Jesus told a story about a son who royally messed up his life (see Luke 15:13-23). This young man totally blew it, and it was his own fault. (There was really no way to see it otherwise.) He had spurned his father and his father’s grace and love and gone his own way, toward what he thought was the Promised Land. But when he got there, he found out that it wasn’t. It was a land of desperation and aloneness, separated from the father who loved him.

So he made plans to return and then put those plans into action. He returned and began to confess his sin. But even before he could get the words out of his mouth, his father—who had been waiting and watching for him, by the way, despite his behavior—met him and restored him to fellowship.

Precious mom, do you need to return from a far country today? Do you need to admit that the Promised Land, well, isn’t? Do you need to realize how much better off you had it when you were following God and living in harmony with Him?

Don’t delay. Run back. God is watching for you, and His arms are open and waiting to receive you. Don’t delay.

Luke 15:20—So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (NIV)

No Good

Megan Breedlove 4 Comments

hula hoop signOne of my daughter Ellie’s best friends is a young lady named Anastasia. Only a month older than Ellie, she and Ellie have become fast friends over the past few years. A few nights ago, Anastasia and three of her siblings stayed overnight with us. The next morning after breakfast and plenty of DVD watching, I took the kids outside to play.

Anastasia was drawn to our hula hoops. She’s actually quite good at hula-hooping. As she practiced, she would call out for me to watch her, and I always watched the neat tricks she did.

I should mention here that I am terrible at hula-hooping, and so are my kids. None of us can get the hoop to go around our bodies more than about half a time before it falls to the ground. So my kids are impressed that Anastasia can do well at something they can’t. It doesn’t seem to bother them that they can’t do the same thing; they’re simply happy for their friend, and content in their own abilities.

That’s exactly the reaction we should have when we see someone else with abilities that we do not possess. We should be happy God has chosen to bless that person in that way and remain content with the ways He has chosen to bless us.

Sometimes, however, we’re not happy for the person in question. Instead of rejoicing that she gets to enjoy one of God’s gifts, we become resentful that we don’t have that same gift. We may even take out our resentment on that person, allowing it to affect the relationship we could have had with her. And sometimes we carry it even farther, to the point where we think that if we don’t have that same gift, we’re nothing.

Precious mom, God does not love Anastasia any more than He loves my children just because she can do something they can’t. He doesn’t prefer her over them because she possesses an ability—which He gave her, by the way—that they don’t. And He doesn’t think any less of us or love us any less just because someone else has more or different gifts than we have.

It’s not like God gives abundant, spectacular gifts to those He loves, and the rest of us get whatever’s left over. He distributes gifts as He wills, according to what each person needs in order to be able to carry out God’s plan for his or her life. So the fact that you don’t have a particular gift or set of gifts simply means you don’t need it—not that you are less than someone else in any way.

Besides, you do have your own spectacular set of gifts, whether or not you recognize that they’re spectacular. Your gifts are amazing because they were hand-picked by God for you, in accordance with what He has planned for you. They were chosen with care and love by God Almighty and given specially to you and to no one else in exactly the same way.

With your gifts, you can bless others in a way that’s unique among every other way on earth. So be content with the gifts you do have, and look for ways to bless others with them, instead of wishing for what you don’t have.

If you’re no good at hula-hooping, who cares? God certainly doesn’t.

Hebrews 13:5—Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV)

Sparkly Pink

Megan Breedlove No Comments

Pink Hello Kitty ShoesThere’s just something about sparkly pink shoes that attracts young girls. Young boys, too, as it turns out. That is, toddler boys. Specifically, Timmy.

Two days ago, our family attended a child’s birthday party. There was a giant water slide in the back yard as well as a couple of pools of varying sizes. Naturally, all the kids left their shoes clustered around the entrances to the various attractions.

Timmy must have thought he was in heaven. He loves to put on people’s shoes and walk around in them. He’s got great balance for a kid his age, and he can walk fairly easily without stumbling even in shoes that are way too big for him.

This time, Timmy’s shoes of choice were some sparkly pink Hello Kitty clogs that belonged to our neighbor girl. It was fortunate that we knew her well, because every time we turned around, Timmy was toddling off someplace in her shoes. A couple times, we tried to take them away from him and put them where he wouldn’t notice, but he always found them again. And, since we knew the shoes’ owner wouldn’t mind, we eventually gave up trying to get him to leave them alone.

At Timmy’s current age—about 17.5 months—it’s fine for him to toddle around in sparkly pink girlie shoes if he wants to. It doesn’t really matter that those clogs weren’t made for little boys, or that Hello Kitty isn’t designed for little boys either. It’s fine for him to enjoy these things now because after all, he’s young. All he knows is that the shoes are pretty. He doesn’t know they’re not really made for him—that is, for a boy.

You and I sometimes get attracted to things that aren’t made for us, either. Something looks pretty, sparkly, and pink to us, despite that fact that it’s not ours and isn’t supposed to be. Perhaps we’re pursuing the wrong ministry at church. Perhaps we’re staying home when we should be working, or working when we should be staying home. Maybe we’re pursuing a person we were never meant to have a relationship with.

Whatever the pink, sparkly thing in our lives, it might not be meant to be ours. How can we tell for sure? We ask the only One who knows for sure, that is, God Himself. He knows exactly which pretty things are meant to be ours, and which are off-limits to us.

Our mistake isn’t in liking pink, sparkly things. We’re made that way. The mistake comes in pursuing something we were never meant to have.

Is there something in your life right now that you’re pursuing because it looks great to you, but which you were never meant to have? Maybe there’s that nagging doubt—otherwise known as the still, small voice—in the back of your mind that whispers, This isn’t for you. Maybe others have told you it isn’t for you. Maybe you know good and well it was never meant to be yours, but you pursued and obtained it anyway.

There’s one way to make things right, and it starts with going before God and asking Him to reveal to you anything you’ve been pursuing which He doesn’t want you to have. Believe me, He will be more than willing to tell you. And once he does, you have to give it up, and maybe even repent of some sin in your life.

It probably won’t be easy to give something up. Giving up attractive things usually isn’t easy. But it will be so much better for you to have the right pair of shoes even than it would be to have a pair of pretty, pink, sparkly shoes that were never meant to be yours.

Do you need to relinquish any shoes today?

Ecclesiastes 3:6—A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. (KJV)

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