"Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!"

Have you seen the movie Finding Nemo?  Do you remember the part where all the birds are fighting over the fish and squawking "Mine!" over and over again?

Do you have kids, or have you been around young kids?  Almost without fail you will hear them shout "Mine!" many times throughout a day.

Most of the arguments between my kids have to do with this battle over what is  "Mine."  Whether it is a toy or an opinion about how something should be done, they both want things their way.   Human nature is just plain selfish and self-centered.

I've been asking myself this week, "How do I behave in this regard?"  I don't run around yelling "Mine!" and demanding that everything is done my way.  I don't hold tightly to my possessions.  But I do hold on too tightly to "my time"  "my kids"  "my husband" and "my plans" for life.  None of these things are "Mine!"  I gave them to God many years ago.  I asked Jesus to live in my heart, to be my savior, my guide.  I gave my life to him.  My time, my husband, my kids, my plan...  these are the things that make up my life.  Only it isn't my life.

My time belongs to God.  I don't always think about that.  When I am wasting time, doing things that are meaningless, I am wasting God's time.  I want to stop and pray each morning, "God, what do you want me to do with your time today?"

My husband and my kids belong to God.  I don't always remember that.  When I spend time worrying about their safety or their futures, I am not fully trusting in God to take care of them or in his plan for their lives.  "God, my family belongs to you.  How do you want me to serve them today?"

My plans, my future, belong to God.  I don't always focus on that.  I can get caught up in my plans for the future, and my timeline for when I want things to happen.  I think most of my plans and dreams are things that would be honoring to God.  But no matter how good my plans seem to be, I can only truly honor God by following his plans in his perfect timing.  "God, please help me to live in the present.  Please help me to be patient and joyful in following your plans for each day of my life."

My kids go to bed at 7:30 each night.  "Whew!  It's my time now,'  I think to myself.  Half an hour later, I hear a door creak open and I get frustrated.  I don't want to help my kids now, I did that all day!  This is my time!  But wait a minute.  It isn't my time.  When Jesus was on earth, he was busy, but he took time to show love to children.  Perhaps he would respond to my child with love and patience, even if it was after bedtime?

My husband is later coming home than usual.  I start to worry about whether he is okay.  Did he get into an accident on the way home?  Wait, Joel belongs to God too.  God is big enough to take care of him.  And if God does call one of my loved ones to be with him in heaven?  God is big enough to comfort and care for me in my grief.

I'm pretty sure God told me he wants me to do x, y, and z with my life.  Those things are on my heart God, they are good things.  Don't you mean now God?  If it is God's plan, he will make it happen in his perfect timing.  I just need to be ready to jump in when God opens up those doors.

When my selfish nature starts screaming "Mine!" I want to remember that these things truly belong to God.  God's time, God's children, God's plans.