Cheerful Giver

It's the time of year where my kids become obsessed with getting new stuff.  Well, more obsessed than usual.  Both of their birthdays are in the fall, followed by Christmas so they get a lot of new stuff in a short period of time.  It doesn't help that the toy catalogs start coming in the mail on a daily basis.  How to keep them focused on Christ instead of things?

When I take them shopping, I usually tell them in advance whether it is a shopping day for them or not.  That way they know whether to expect anything or not.  If they see something they like, they can tell me they like it and that they want to put it on their Christmas list.  Earlier this week, I took my younger one to Target to look for birthday presents for friends kids.  Ian kept saying, "you always buy stuff for other people but not for me."  Then he told me that he was really upset and that the only thing that would help him feel better was if I bought him something.  Filling that God shaped hole with things other than God starts early doesn't it?  I took both the boys to the craft store yesterday to choose some items for our shoe box gift that we give each year for children who are less fortunate.  I talked with them in advance about how our focus would be on others, not on them.  I asked them to look around the store to find crafts that little boys their age might like.  Boy, was it a miserable experience!  Lots of "why don't you ever buy anything for me?"

Often, when I am dealing with sin in my children's life it is as though God is holding up a mirror so that I can see the sin in my own life.  Do I focus more on things than on building treasures in heaven?  Am I setting an example for them to follow?  How much time do I spend shopping or searching online for the best price for something?  What am I doing to teach them the importance of people and eternity rather than the newest toy?

These questions continue to run through my mind.  We've been talking about how God loves a "cheerful giver" and what that means.  I've also talked with them about the responsbility we have to share with others when God has blessed us.  When God blesses us with abundance, it's not to hold on to it selfishly but to keep our hands open wide and hand it off to others.  This year, my husband and I have been regularly strategizing how to live this out in practical ways.  I often refer to our Compassion child to help the boys understand how most of the world lives.  When we write letters and the boys draw pictures we talk about how much of the things they might draw would be something our sponsored child would know nothing about.  Also, how when we share with him what our family is doing, he wouldn't understand or be able to relate to.  We are also supporting an organization that helps orphans (Show Hope) and we've been showing them the website and teaching them about orphans and how many children don't even have their basic needs met. 

So what to do this Christmas season to keep focused on eternal treasure rather than the treasures at the toy store?  In additon to our shoe box gifts, we plan on preparing gifts with the girls in my accountability group for local homeless people.  Every year during the Advent Season we have daily activities and scripture readings to keep the kids focused on the good news of the gospel and Christ's incarnation (I'll post more about that in December).  For now I need to focus on my own heart and pray and repent for the ways I am not a cheerful giver and live a life that demonstrates to the boys what it means to have an open hand to "the least of these."  How can I demand from them if I can't do it myself?

And I think I'll ditch all the toy magazines immediately after I get them in the mail!



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