A Mature View
Often we like the idea of God, learning His ways and living a better life, but truly being all in that’s another story altogether. As a follower of Jesus we know this: at some point God is going to want to talk about your stuff – your money; because it is impossible to be a devoted follower of Jesus without fully devoting your money and possessions to Him. Still, there is a part of all of us, like children, that wants to say to God, “Hey those are my fries, leave them alone.” We tend to lean toward the toddler mentality when it comes to the money and possessions God provides. If I have it in my hands, it’s mine. If I have it first, it’s mine. When I put it down, still mine. However, if I break it, it’s yours!
As my children have grown older and matured, their status has changed a great deal. They have all come to understand when I reach across the table to grab a few french fries I just want their hearts. I don’t want all their fries and I don’t need them. I can buy my own. I can buy them more. I’m the one who bought theirs in the first place; I just want their hearts to be one of love and generosity toward me as their dad. Interestingly enough as maturing adults with jobs and the ability to buy their own french fries it makes a difference on how willing they are to share. My son is so great as a teenager; I often ask, “Joel, can I have a few fries? ” He’ll think about it for a moment and then answer, “Of course you can, you paid for them.” Then there are those times when he pays for his own fries and he may make a different decision altogether.
When the tyranny of the urgent crashes into the priorities of our daily lives, we can easily be distracted and lose focus of this fact: God is God. He is the one who provides for all of our needs; He is the one who gives us life and the gifts and the talents we need to earn a living, and He provides us with opportunities. Throughout this book we will come back to these 3 simple truths over and over: He is the one who provides all of our fries in the first place, He is God; He could take it all from us if He had it in mind to do so; and He doesn’t need our fries because He lacks nothing. He could actually bury us in fries should He choose to do so. All He truly wants from us is what the fries represent, our hearts. He wants us to trust Him as our loving, Heavenly Father, stand on His promises, and live our lives according to His purpose and plan. As we trust He guarantees He will “supply all of our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus in heaven” – all of our spiritual, emotional and physical needs. After all, while we may be the lord of our fries, He is the Lord of all. Knowing this we must wrestle with the question every devoted follower of Jesus has to wrestle with: Do we trust God as provider or do we trust money and possessions?