Recently, there has been a lot of coveting and stealing going on in our house. Shocked?!
No, it’s not from the adults, or even the older children in the house. It’s the toddlers! That’s what they are best at. They want whatever the other one has, and they are ruthless about stealing from each other. It’s amazing how selfish toddlers can be. They do not care about anyone else’s feelings or wants, just about themselves. I am trying diligently to keep the stealing to a minimum, but I can’t do much about the coveting. I guess it’s just human nature to want what someone else has. And if I am honest, I want what others have, at times. There is a house for sale down the street from us, it is much larger and no doubt has one more bathroom and bedroom than we do. I want that house! I am dealing with myself about contentment with the house we have and how blessed we are. But it’s a struggle sometimes.
My older boys struggle with coveting. They always want whatever latest new thing that their friends have. And then we have to have a chat about whether they “need” these things or not, and what excess is. Our culture leads you to believe you need a lot of things, but you really don’t. It can lead you down the road of discontentment.
We are all sinners in our hearts. We are born selfish and sinful. We have to submit to God to change our hearts and make us more like Him. When the babies start coveting and stealing I have to inflict punishment on them to get them to change. Hopefully, I am past that point with my coveting. Hopefully, I can change myself and practice some self-control. Man it’s hard to be an adult sometimes. It sure would be easier to just do what I want all the time, but then I would miss out on what God has for me. Those things I covet are nothing compared to the blessings He has in store for me.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”[a]
1 Corinthians 2:9
I just need to practice a little patience to wait on God’s perfect timing!
Armloads of Blessings 