“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7
“Noni! Sai’sins!” she exclaimed excitedly, as a sweet smile spread across her happy face.
I need to share this bit of humor with you. It left me with a smile on my face — and a lesson in my heart. I hope it will leave you with a smile and something to think about as you go about your days too.
Background info: My Grand-Diva just absolutely adores those white yogurt-covered raisins — since her very first encounter with them. Of course, she has her own version of the word, sai’sins, but this Noni interprets pretty well most of the time. I usually give her three or four at a time because the bag is small. Oh, and she prefers them in a bowl too! This baby knows what she wants...and of course, when she wants it too.
Now the rest of the story.
The other day, I suddenly went on a closet cleaning, rearranging, decluttering escapade which threw a monkey wrench in my routine for a couple days but left my home better. Part of my cleaning found a bag of dried beans left behind on my countertop. I didn’t think anything of it and decided to leave them in the open, thinking maybe I’d cook up a batch sometime this week.
Into the kitchen came my little one and she spotted those beans. Only...she mistakenly assumed they were her sai’sins. In fact, a huge bag of them! What could be better? Maybe she could even have more then three or four at a time.
After I realized the cute, innocent mistake, I thought about how we adults sometimes make similar mistakes. We know what we want and usually want it now. It isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be though when we stop and take a close look.
While we may think that what we’re looking at is exciting, will make us happy and fulfilled in life, it’s often a trap set for us by the enemy of our soul. The fluff we think might make life more satisfying and fulfilling for us, is often nothing more than a bag of hard, teeth-breaking, tasteless bits of disappointment packaged up as our deepest desires.
We assume if we can just make it to that certain level of hierarchy on the job, we’ll be satisfied. If we can keep up with the Jones’s, we’ll be content. If we can somehow be “good enough” to be accepted by the in-crowd....if our children can only be this or that...and on and on. Get the picture?
These types of things may look good and to be desired on the surface, but it’s a trap. Actually, often what we think will bring happiness and contentment is nothing more than an old bag of beans.
The good stuff often comes in smaller, more ordinary packages.
The fruit of the Spirit make our lives sweet like sai’sins. Being content in a world which continuously desires more, living within our means, and in our station of life is actually more to be desired when the cost is counted. More is NOT always better. Doing right. Loving others. Being kind and humble. This is the sweet stuff, my friend. The simple stuff.
Don’t mistake the big bag of beans for the sweet, satisfying stuff of life.
Maybe it’s simple, but it was a great object lesson to remind me to choose the right stuff. There is a verse in the Bible that says there is a way which seems right, but it doesn’t end well. Kind of like grabbing a bag of beans when you intended to enjoy some sweet raisins. Ick!
My Grand-Diva probably wouldn’t fall for that trick more than once, but I couldn’t even let her try it. Similarly, God’s Word is full of warnings to us from our Father, about choosing the right stuff in life.
Now, hope you’ve enjoyed this lesson from my little diva; go grab a bowl of sweet sai’sins and enjoy life today - the way God intended. Our days aren’t always going to be sweet, but they’ll always be better when we make the right choices by living righteously. That, my friend, we can all count on.
