"Mine!"

When children first learn to talk, the parents are overjoyed with each sweet word that is uttered by their protege.  

"Dada!"  "Mama!"  "Bye Bye!"

Then other words begin to appear, and these words can be underwhelming. 

"No!"  "Shut-up!"  "Poop." (A personal favorite of my grandsons.)

As a toddler's vocabulary increases, so do the words we don't want our sweet babies to say.  Then the parents must adjust their conversation to protect the child's budding vocabulary.   Remember the spelling years!  I-C-E  C-R-E-A-M! 

Even with all we do to protect our brilliant off-springs, they will still pick up some unapproved words.   A word in our house that seeped into our young children's vocabulary was "MINE!"  

I have no idea where my children could have heard such a selfish word...she lied.

MINE, when spoken in a possessive way, reeks of selfishness.  I understand selfishness all too well.  I'm in a continuous battle with this ugly word, "MINE!" 

It's my time.
It's my money.
It's my car.
It's my phone.
It's my desk.
It's my IPad.
It's mine, mine, MINE!

I've heard my husband teach many times on tithing.  In an attempt to help people understand what is actually theirs and what belongs to God.  He says that when we ask this question, "How much of my money belongs to God?"  We have the wrong premise because in actuality everything we have is 100% God's and that 100% isn't taking only about money.

I have one of those Bible apps on my phone that gives me the scripture of the day and a few weeks ago this was the scripture that popped up on my screen.

"Don’t you know that your body is a temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit, whom you received from God, lives in you. You don’t belong to yourselves. You were bought for a price. So bring glory to God in the way you use your body."    
1 Corinthians 6:19-20. (GW)

Time, money, cars, and phones seem small in comparison to my very being.  This scripture sets the record straight.  I don't even belong to myself let alone own all my worldly possessions.

Next time I get in a tug-of-war over ownership, I need to remember what's really "MINE!" 


The only time that word sounds good, and can even bring peace, is when God looks at me and says, "MINE."

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