Tammy On Tuesday ~ Wish List Revisions

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This past Sunday, my 9 year old daughter, Sophie played a part in the church Christmas play.  She was cast as a little girl with a long, extravagant Christmas list.

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PINIMAGEWhen she handed me her real Christmas wish list the other morning, I thought, “Wow, do they typecast!”  Here are some of my favorites from her list of 22 items:

o   Toys (Wow, that’s general.  This is what you write when you don’t even know what you want but you know you want a lot.)

o   Candy (again general – Apparently any kind will do.)

o   iPad Mini

o   small laptop (seriously?)

o   a “sit down” motor scooter

o   a new cat (I guess the two we have are no longer in fashion.)

All three kids have handed me extensive lists for Christmas.  My oldest has revised and added to hers several times.  We are now on draft three.  I added up the things on my son’s list and I think the total comes to roughly $2,500.  He numbered his items from one to seventeen and listed them as: 1 (really want) to 17 (can live with out).  What a relief it was to know that he could live without some of this stuff he was wishing for.  Did you know Lebron 12 sneakers can run $200 or more?!

Even if we wanted to buy all they were wishing for, we couldn’t ever afford it.  But we also know it wouldn’t be healthy to give them all these things.

I had to sit them down the other day and brace them for the fact that they wouldn’t be seeing all they wished for on Christmas morning.  I told them no matter what they get, I want them to focus on the blessing of all that we already have.  We talked about family and freedom and faith.  We even watched that viral video of the little boy from another country who received a tablet of some type for Christmas.  He wept over this one special gift.  I asked them why they thought he was crying.  We talked for a while.    I’ve continued daily to help give them perspective on what really matters.  We talk about the gifts we already have.  Many of them have no price tag and can’t be bought.

Interestingly, I can see they are truly listening and that their wheels are turning.  This may be the first year that they are beginning to see beyond the material to things more important.   In the past it wasn’t so easy to convince them that they didn’t need all the things they were wishing for.  In their minds, they really did!

But let’s be honest.  Haven’t most of us made lists like these growing up?

We still often do this with God.  We create this mental wish list of what we think we need in our lives and we go to God.  Our prayers can be earnest and sincere.  We can believe with all our hearts that we NEED what we are asking for.  When God doesn’t give us what we want we begin to question why:

• Is my request too big?
• Does God not care?
• Does He not see what I need?

Often it’s not that we are asking God for too much.  We are just asking for the wrong things.

The sad reality is that for some, what God does with their wish list determines whether they will allow Him to be God in their lives. 

“If God really loved me, He would give me what I’m asking.  If He doesn’t answer I guess I’m on my own.”

Over the years, I’ve been learning that God doesn’t always give us what we’re asking for.  But He always gives us what we need.  He knows me better than I know myself.  He teaches me to live abundantly.  Living abundantly doesn’t always mean I’ll have an abundance of material things.

A while back I went through a very dark period in my life.  As God brought me through it, I told a friend, “I was asking God for peace. I always thought that when you prayed for peace, the pain had to go.  Like the one eliminated the other. But I realized that sometimes the gift of peace is wrapped up in pain. The peace came in that dark time and the peace and the pain dwelled together.  And my belief and confidence in God grew deeper.

This Christmas, while walking with a friend through cancer, while ministering to hurting people in our church family, while reaching out to a community in need of hope, and even while grappling with my own personal struggles, I’m reminded of the goodness and faithfulness of God.  No matter how dark the path, He has been there. His grace has been sufficient.  His mercy has been poured out.  When we cried out to Him He was listening and answering.   He gives good gifts – even the gift of suffering.

Several days ago I came across Psalm 119:71-72

My suffering was good for me (a good gift), for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.  Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.   emphasis mine

I whispered to God, “I think I’m beginning to understand this. What a gift!”

What’s on your wish list?  I still often ask for the wrong things from God.  I still see with finite understanding.  I still have a hard time when God says no.  But I know He loves me.  I know His gifts are good.  Learning this lesson will probably be life-long for me, but I’m growing.

A neat thing happened this morning.  My 9 year old, came to me with her list.  She said she’d made some changes.  I thought to myself, “Uh, oh!  Another revision?!?”  To my surprise, she had crossed a bunch of things off.  She said, “I don’t really need all these things.”  She’s learning too.  We may be learning a step at a time but we’re learning. PINIMAGE

 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.  

Matthew 7:11

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.    

James 1:17