“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”

- 1 Timothy 6:17

 

    On most mornings I spend about thirty minutes prayer walking a trail that winds through the woods and down to a lake near my home.  Before heading out for this time of refreshing with the Lord, I usually ask my wife and son if they have any prayer requests or praise reports for me to bring before our Heavenly Father.

    One morning I asked Jacob, who was eight at the time, the usual question.  He noted, after briefly looking up from his coloring sheet, that he didn’t have any requests that day.  I resisted the urge to say, “Maybe you should pray that you can keep your crayons within the lines!” and instead asked, “Do you have anything that I can thank God for this morning.”

    Again, there was a brief look up at me.  This time it was between changing crayons.  I’m still not sure why North America is hot pink, but that’s a different story.  His reply once more was a short one.  He said simply, “Thank God that we get to do all kinds of stuff.”

    This was one of those times that I normally would have regarded as a teaching moment.  One of those times when I stop and explain to my as yet inexperienced little boy that we need to put more time and thought into talking with God instead of approaching it as an interruption with no real significance.  But there was something about the way he said it that just made me reconsider.

    He kind of smiled as he saw me jot down this entry on my prayer list under the heading “Thanks”:  “That we get to do all kinds of stuff”.  Partly in fun, partly to show him that we can talk with God about anything and everything, I added it to the list and went on my way.

    Little did I know that those simple words of a child had such huge implications.  As I started walking down the road to the trailhead, the phrase “all kinds of stuff” began to come to life before my eyes.  I started thinking things like this…

* We get to come home to a wonderful house and neighborhood in which we live.

* We get to barbecue, play tennis, fellowship, go to church and share our faith with neighbors.

* We get to order pizza today for the family of a neighbor who was recently severely injured in a car wreck.

* We get to play with our dog, Sparky in our big backyard full of trees.

* We get to use that RV that’s parked out back to go explore the great outdoors.

* We get to play basketball, toss a football, jump on the trampoline, and play board games together.

* We get to eat delicious meals, enjoy hot showers, sleep in comfy beds, and watch entertaining movies together.

    Hmmm.  Maybe Jacob wasn’t so wrong in his simple praise.  I continued meditating…

* We get to open our eyes and see, use our ears to hear, and experience other senses that are working properly to taste, smell and feel.

* We get to walk, move, jump, run, stretch, ride bikes and generally move the working parts of our bodies.

* We get to use our minds to think, make decisions, form opinions, and express ideas.

* We get to hug each other and hold hands and snuggle and kiss.

* We get to enjoy a cool breeze, watch a beautiful sunset, listen to birds chirping, smell honeysuckle in bloom and experience the beauty of God’s creation.

    I started getting excited.  Really excited!  We get to do all kinds of stuff!!  Stuff like…

* We get to visit beaches and mountains, lakes and rivers, forests and canyons.

* We get to play mini-golf and go bowling and read books and shoot fireworks.

* We get to go to museums and musicals, fishing holes and baseball fields, golf courses and shopping malls.

* We get to enjoy ice cream, apple pie, chocolate cake, cheese dip, pizza and other goodies.

* We get to swim in pools and lakes, cook hot dogs and smores over the fire, have snowball fights and build snowmen, drink a cup of cold lemonade or hot chocolate.

* We get to see babies born, people born again, couples unite in marriage, friends succeed, family members reach goals and milestones.

    Could it be that we forget we get to do all kinds of stuff?!! 

* We get to enjoy the company of a good friend, reunite with family members and foster new relationships with acquaintances and strangers.

* We get to comfort each other during trials, struggle together instead of alone during hardships, and help each other accomplish things we could never do alone.

* We get to go to work and make a living, relax when the work is done, use the funds to meet our needs and wants as well as those of others.

* We get to buy surprise gifts, send out “just because” greeting cards, send encouraging emails, and generally do “acts of kindness” for those all around us.   

* We get to go to birthday parties and reunions, baptisms and potluck dinners, tailgate events and grand openings.

* We get to celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter and more, as well as the seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

    My little 8 year old knows so much more than me sometimes.  He probably didn’t realize the broadness of what he said when he uttered those words, but he was right on target with the full weight of them!

* We get to worship God and pray to Him and serve Him and appreciate Him.

* We get to read the Word of God and watch it do an amazing work in our lives to comfort us, encourage us, guide us, convict us, discipline us and help us through every day.

* We get to go on mission trips across town and across the country and across the globe.

* We get to give our tithe and present offerings and devote our time to the Kingdom.

* We get to pray and share our faith and be a witness and shine our lights before all men.

* We get to attend church and serve in children’s ministry and participate in Sunday School.

* We get to sing and clap and raise our hands and shout Hallelujah to the King of Kings.

* We get to go to heaven someday and spend eternity with the One who made it all possible.

    Surely I could go on and on and on.    Every moment of our lives is to be cherished.  We may not drive around in a Rolls Royce or live in a Beverly Hills mansion or stay in Five Star hotels, but we have much – much! – to be thankful for.  Instead of griping and complaining about things we don’t have or don’t like, why not take inventory of just how blessed we really are?

    Yes, most definitely, without question, my 8 year old said it best:

    “Thank you God, that we get to do all kinds of stuff!”