Playing with Toys

I believe the year was 1994.  It was Christmas Eve and the family was opening gifts and I had a massive box in front of me.

I was center stage because my family always opens up gifts one at a time.  I tore into the wrapping and opened the plain cardboard box.  The box was nearly empty, save for a small bag.  The bag was full of BBs!  I grabbed the bag and was confused until I noticed a note in the box.  The note said, "Look under our bed."

I dashed into my parents' room, plunged my head under their bed and discover a long, skinny, rectangular box.  My parents had gotten me a Red Rider BB Gun!  I was pumped to say the least.  The gift was awesome, but I couldn't shoot it yet because it was the middle of the night and there were more gifts to open.

Later I got a chance to shoot the gun and I loved it.  I shot that BB gun a lot.  I put tin cans on the burn barrel and picked them off with my 2nd grade level marksmanship.  The entire time I lived in Missouri I played with that Red Rider BB Gun.

What did my parents get out of this story?  My parents, I'm sure, got joy out of seeing me enjoy the gift they spent their hard earned money to buy me.  I'm sure there were times when they looked out the window and smiled as I continued to play with the gift they gave me.  I'm sure they smiled when they saw that I enjoyed their gift for more than a moment.

How do kids honor their parents who give them gifts?  With a hug?  Yes.  But mostly by enjoying the gifts.

"For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16-17

Jesus is the source of all things in the universe.  Everything is from Him and for Him.  This includes all that we have from the tangible to the intangible.  We aren't the origin of a single thing; everything we have is a gift from God.

How then do we honor God as good stewards of what He's given us?  There are many ways, but I believe the best way is to play with our toys.  The greatest way to glorify God with the gifts He's given to us is to remember that He is the source of the gifts and to enjoy them to the max.  Don't wish for a different gift.  Enjoy the one you have.

John Piper says it this way, "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him."

The Westminster Shorter  Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" and answers "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

Everything is from God and for God.  Live like that is true, because it is.  Play with your toys.  Let your Heavenly Father smile at you while you enjoy His gifts to you today.