Sharing--Matthew 25:14-30
For many years I have kept a journal. The Lord has been dealing with me lately to dust off some of my thoughts and share them with others. Why wait till I am gone and someone “discovers” them hidden away in some notebook on a shelf? So here I am.
A little about myself: I have been married for 20 years to my husband who pastors a church. We were not blessed with children, but have been blessed over and above with other blessings- such as our wonderful families, friends, endless spiritual blessings and His wonderful Presence to lead and guide us through all the ups and downs that any ordinary married couple would go through. I say ordinary because even though we may be called of God to the ministry, we are still ordinary in the fact that we must daily lay our lives down in place of His will. We go through the same struggles that any couple or person would go through. It may not be the exact same problems, but the principle is always the same: Let God have His way. That is where the struggles come in. But once we lay down our own will, He comes and gives us the grace and strength to go through whatever the world throws at us.
I have often heard parents say that they learn many lessons through raising their children. Well, I haven’t raised any children, but I have raised a Golden Retriever named Ginger. She is 7 years old and about 100 pounds. I have learned many “life lessons” through this loveable but stubborn, self-willed, Alpha female!!!(Not much unlike myself at times). I do use her a lot in my illustrations. The most recent is the reason I am writing today.
She loves new toys—squeaky toys and soft plush toys. Recently we bought her two at one time: a squeaky plastic T-bone steak and a large stuffed plush bone. She of course was so happy to know that she had received something new. You can just imagine how excited she was to receive not one--- but two new toys!!! But the problem came when she attempted to put both of them in her mouth at the same time. She worked and worked. First she got one in, and then when she attempted to get the other in, she dropped the first one. Then when she got the first one back in her mouth, the second one fell out. This went on for a couple minutes until finally she managed to get both of them in her mouth at the same time. She looked really ridiculous with these two toys sticking out of her mouth- the T-bone steak coming out one side and the stuffed bone coming out the other. Then she was off!! Into the living room she went and would not put either of them down. Even when she received one toy in the past, she would keep it in her mouth for a long time, not sharing it with anyone else!! Who can blame her? It is hers! It’s new!
So there she was for quite awhile- not able to eat or drink- only with those two toys sticking out of her mouth and did I mention that her tongue was hanging out also! The Lord reminded me of this incident just this morning, and how that many times I receive things- spiritual- physical- and I am not willing to share. I want to keep it all for myself. After all--- God gave this to me!!!! It is mine!!!! Yes, there are certain times when we ponder those special things in our hearts because they are for us alone, or for the moment. But many times God gives us things- spiritual, physical, financial—for us to share. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. When we give- we receive back so much more. When we keep our blessings to ourselves, we become like my dog- not willing to let them go. We get bogged down and can’t function or go through our daily routine because we are hording our gifts and talents. We become like the man who hid his one talent-his master told him he was lazy and wicked and his master took it away from him. He lost what little bit he tried to hold onto. We become vulnerable when we attempt to share. We may feel that we may be rejected for what we say or do. Or we may be misunderstood. But think about that—how many times was Jesus misunderstood and rejected? More than we can imagine. But it did not stop Him from sharing His life with the world. He even went so far as to lay His life down for sinners so that through Him we may live and have life everlasting!!!! He is our example in this world today. We must walk the way He did and do the things that He did.
So, unlike my dog Ginger, I will be sharing some things that the Lord has put on my heart. I welcome your comments. And remember- when the Lord blesses us- it is usually for a purpose not unto ourselves. Our blessings are to be shared with others. Have a great day!
A little about myself: I have been married for 20 years to my husband who pastors a church. We were not blessed with children, but have been blessed over and above with other blessings- such as our wonderful families, friends, endless spiritual blessings and His wonderful Presence to lead and guide us through all the ups and downs that any ordinary married couple would go through. I say ordinary because even though we may be called of God to the ministry, we are still ordinary in the fact that we must daily lay our lives down in place of His will. We go through the same struggles that any couple or person would go through. It may not be the exact same problems, but the principle is always the same: Let God have His way. That is where the struggles come in. But once we lay down our own will, He comes and gives us the grace and strength to go through whatever the world throws at us.
I have often heard parents say that they learn many lessons through raising their children. Well, I haven’t raised any children, but I have raised a Golden Retriever named Ginger. She is 7 years old and about 100 pounds. I have learned many “life lessons” through this loveable but stubborn, self-willed, Alpha female!!!(Not much unlike myself at times). I do use her a lot in my illustrations. The most recent is the reason I am writing today.
She loves new toys—squeaky toys and soft plush toys. Recently we bought her two at one time: a squeaky plastic T-bone steak and a large stuffed plush bone. She of course was so happy to know that she had received something new. You can just imagine how excited she was to receive not one--- but two new toys!!! But the problem came when she attempted to put both of them in her mouth at the same time. She worked and worked. First she got one in, and then when she attempted to get the other in, she dropped the first one. Then when she got the first one back in her mouth, the second one fell out. This went on for a couple minutes until finally she managed to get both of them in her mouth at the same time. She looked really ridiculous with these two toys sticking out of her mouth- the T-bone steak coming out one side and the stuffed bone coming out the other. Then she was off!! Into the living room she went and would not put either of them down. Even when she received one toy in the past, she would keep it in her mouth for a long time, not sharing it with anyone else!! Who can blame her? It is hers! It’s new!
So there she was for quite awhile- not able to eat or drink- only with those two toys sticking out of her mouth and did I mention that her tongue was hanging out also! The Lord reminded me of this incident just this morning, and how that many times I receive things- spiritual- physical- and I am not willing to share. I want to keep it all for myself. After all--- God gave this to me!!!! It is mine!!!! Yes, there are certain times when we ponder those special things in our hearts because they are for us alone, or for the moment. But many times God gives us things- spiritual, physical, financial—for us to share. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. When we give- we receive back so much more. When we keep our blessings to ourselves, we become like my dog- not willing to let them go. We get bogged down and can’t function or go through our daily routine because we are hording our gifts and talents. We become like the man who hid his one talent-his master told him he was lazy and wicked and his master took it away from him. He lost what little bit he tried to hold onto. We become vulnerable when we attempt to share. We may feel that we may be rejected for what we say or do. Or we may be misunderstood. But think about that—how many times was Jesus misunderstood and rejected? More than we can imagine. But it did not stop Him from sharing His life with the world. He even went so far as to lay His life down for sinners so that through Him we may live and have life everlasting!!!! He is our example in this world today. We must walk the way He did and do the things that He did.
So, unlike my dog Ginger, I will be sharing some things that the Lord has put on my heart. I welcome your comments. And remember- when the Lord blesses us- it is usually for a purpose not unto ourselves. Our blessings are to be shared with others. Have a great day!
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