Lessons from a blueberry

Do you ever feel the desire to have the newest, coolest gadget? Something that friends or family around you have, you've seen it, and now you'd really like to have it? Sometimes I get that way. Joe and I have some of those little gadgets. Not a lot of them, but we do have some. I'm thankful for them, too. But what's the balance? Do we really need all the "stuff" this world has to offer? The newest phones, the newest i-pod, the most cable channels? This is a question I ask myself. I've actually been thinking about it a lot lately. Joe and I have been reading the book, "Radical" by David Platt. It's been a great challenge to me. It's making me think about all of those in this world that die each day because they don't have clean water or food. Children who die because they don't have anything to eat and my family has food in abundance. It kind of puts things into perspective. Even in having myself challenged in this way still hasn't stopped me from wanting (I dare say even coveting) the things I want. I even received an extra, unexpected financial gift the other day. My thought...use it towards that thing I want! The need: use it towards restocking our food supply that had dwindled a little. The need won out, but it wasn't easy. As I'm struggling with this, the kids and I have been having some road time and Sophie has wanted to watch Veggietales' Madame Blueberry. It's a cute little movie, so I didn't have a problem with it. The songs are kind of catchy, too. In the story, Madame Blueberry is always sad and crying because she doesn't get to have all the stuff she wants. Stuff that her friends have (she even has pictures of the stuff they have and looks at the pictures, wishing she had it) that she just has to have. She is finally able to go to the "Stuff Mart" and buy lots and lots of stuff. One song says, "happiness waits at the Stuff Mart...cause all you need is lots more stuff!" While she's on her way to trying to fill her life with more stuff, she sees the happiness of a small family that celebrates even though they have no home and all the little girl gets for her birthday is a piece of apple pie. Another little boy (well, he's actually an asparagus) only gets a ball even though he wants more. His song says, "because a thankful heart is a happy heart" and he is thankful for his dad, the time he was able to spend with him, and he says "thanks every day". Madame Blueberry pauses...she realizes what she really wants is a happy heart...because all that stuff is not satisfying. The stuff even totally wrecks her little treehouse because there's so much. Madame learns her lesson. I think I did, too. We've been listening, at Sophie's request, to Madame Blueberry over and over. It finally started sinking in. The little "stuff" that I would like to have will not make me happier. It will not fill my heart the way that love from my family, special moments with them, love of friends and the love of my Savior will.

Who says Veggietales can only teach kids?!

~God bless~