Sharing is Caring... right?

By Cassie Glubzinski

I have a kid in kindergarten.
[deep breath]
My daughter is already in kindergarten...
[breathe again]
Seriously, where did the time go?

She came home from school the other day and was so very excited. She held out for my inspection her first check out from the school library.

Very. Big. Deal.

Smiling from ear to ear she showed me, with no small amount of pride, the book that she wanted me to read to her when we got inside.

Now, I had to cock my head to the side and ask her sweetly, "Honeybee, we have this book at home already. Was there a reason you wanted to check it out from the library?"

"Yeah, Mommy. I don't like sharing it with sister, so I got my own book to borrow."

Well, that in and of itself was funny, except for the fact that the book is called "Llama Llama, Time To Share".

Sorry, Llama, but your message has not been received by my five year old.

But even as I was thinking of this I was also reminded of how I hoard things I think are mine. That's my car. That's my book. That's my computer. That's my kitchen. That's my house. That's my church. That's my...fill in the blank. And then I began to contemplate the heavenly perspective God would want me to adopt...

That's God's house, and He's letting me live in it.
That's God's kitchen, and He's letting me cook in it.
That's God's car, and He's letting me drive it.
That's God's computer, and He's letting me use it.
That's God's book, and He's letting me read it.
That's God's church, and He's calling me to serve in it.

A heavenly perspective leaves no room for selfishness, and trying to communicate that concept to kids is difficult. But it's not impossible. It is simply a process. And God granted me an amazing opportunity to cultivate a heavenly perspective in my children's little minds.

You see, just like Gemma got to borrow a book from the library, one she would return the next week, we get to borrow things from God. It's our responsibility to take good care of them, and when He needs them for a different purpose, we need to return them gratefully.

Mitch Albom wrote in his famous book, "Have a Little Faith" about how when we are born our hands are in fists. We hold tight to anything and everything we can. But when we die our hands are open, because we realize nothing in this world was ever meant to be held onto so tightly. Our souls were meant for worship in Heaven someday, and all we need is to let go.

Sharing is caring, indeed. I am praying this week that God will show me when He wants to be share, even when it will be uncomfortable.