Thursday, December 1, 2011

MINE

It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly. Bertrand Russell
As this Christmas season nears, all the little grand kids look through the newspaper fliers, and circle the things they want.  Most ads end up completely marked.  Now they have plenty of toys and things, and sometimes they are so possessive.  It's hard to learn the concept of giving rather than getting. To help them we have them go through their toys and select things to give to the needy, telling them to imagine what another child would like to have.  They always select nice things.  Sometimes we have to bite our tongues to keep from saying, "But that is still so nice" or "Are you sure you want to give that away?"
It seems that this is a lesson that we also are still needing to learn.

1 John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? (NIV)

8 comments:

  1. Gosh this is something I try to gently preach here at home and such a hard lesson to learn - for I think this is an area we all fall short on.

    So many people feel they know the answers - you know - but then in my experience don't always LIVE them.

    HAPPY DECEMBER!

    Love,
    sandie

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  2. I have thought about doing this with my kiddos this year, as we know grammas will spoil them and they have such abundance already. Good reminder to let go of our possessions for others!

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  3. I used to do to that with my kids when they were little too.

    A few years ago we had a Christmas where we could only give presents that we had made. It could even be a picture that was taken and framed - any thing just as long as you didn't buy it. It was one of the nicest Christmas's we've had.

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  4. Wonderful lesson for us all to learn, and teach.

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  5. Bless their little hearts. Children really get it, don't they? I'm an adult, learning too!

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  6. Great idea...may have to try that with my kids too :) Laurel

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  7. How so very true...and I did the very same thing with our two kids [long ago, of course]...but the idea of giving is far more important a lesson than receiving. What a fabulous, holiday idea, isn't it? I remember one time, long after our kids grew to adulthood, my son said that the lesson we instilled made him realize that Christmas is NOT the only day to give that it should be every day. So, I felt proud not only of him but of myself to teach what it's like to not have it all.

    A link to my Friday post: Part 1 of our Road Trip

    Hope you have a lovely weekend.

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  8. I love this. We have been going through our house, room by room, annually for the past 5 years or so. At this point we've donated literally half the contents of our house. I feel so much freer without all the 'stuff'. I'm glad you're teaching your grandchildren the value in donating as well. It's a valuable lesson!

    Thanks for stopping by and your messages. I'm glad I found you through Follow Friday!

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