What I Learned About God Through My Daughter's Response to Me
“No, that’s mine.” It’s amazing how a simple sentence can make you feel so many things. These were the words of my daughter. All I did was ask to hold a toy of hers for just a moment. Just a quick moment and I would give it right back. She responded by saying “No, that’s mine!”In the heat of the moment, I said with rage in my eyes “Girl that’s not yours. Everything in this house is mine and if it’s in this house it’s because I bought it. Give it to me.”
This exact moment made me think of our interactions with God. (This is what I learned about God in this moment)
If you read my last post, The Church Just Wants My Money, you know tithing is something I’ve recently started doing. I can personally attest, even in the short time I’ve been doing it, all the amazing miracles I’ve seen God do in my life directly because of my tithing, even though it was something I protested for so long.This post isn’t about tithing though. Although it is at the same time. This is about faithfulness and trust.I’ve always wrestled with the idea of the songs I sing on Sunday and the lack of faith I walk on Monday. I get stirred up and excited at church; but I leave it there. My life has been perfectly segregated. I don’t mean racially segregated. I mean spiritually. As long as I give God his time on Sunday, I could have the rest of the week. I mean 10% of our lives should be enough right?
God has had enough of segregation from his people.
What do I mean?“Give me your morning”“No, that’s mine!”“Give me your lunch time”“No, that’s mine!”“Give me your tithe.”“No, that’s mine!”“Give me your life.”“No, that’s mine!”
Here's what I learned about God:
We’re all like children who believe our father wants to take things away from us. What my daughter didn’t realize was her toy wasn’t working properly and I just wanted to fix it. Just for a moment. In the same way, our father asks things from us because our lives are broken, and he wants to fix it. Just a moment is all he is asking for.
Related Post: If You Want More, You've Gotta Give More
He doesn’t want some of your life, he wants it all.
He gave us Jesus and now he wants us to give ourselves. If eternity is real. If we really believe it’s real, then at some point in the future, this 80 years we live here will mean next to nothing in the grand scheme of things. The 60 seconds I held my daughters toy, she didn’t even remember the next day.God isn’t asking for part of your life. He wants it all. He is jealous for your time. Facebook knows more about us than we would tell it directly. We would stare God in the face and say we wish we had more time, knowing all along we have cheapened quality time with God to less fulfilling than reading meme’s.
God isn’t asking for part of your life. He wants it all.
I urge you to sit down before God and ask what in your life does he want, even just for a moment. What are you willing to give up? Even if you would go kicking and screaming, what are you willing to let him take from your hand?He really is a good father. We just often don’t realize it because our room is a mess, our favorite bear is missing and the toy in our hand is broken although we don’t even know it. He’s not here to destroy your life. He’s here to restore it. Restoration is only though him.What I learned about God is that He’s only asking you for 5 minutes; 5 minutes to just stop listen to Him.