Who Wants Ice Cream?
Our son, Kyle, was probably nine years old when we went out for a rare steak dinner. His kid’s meal came complete with ice cream. Why is it that the kids always get the good stuff?
Naturally, dad wanted to sample his booty. Without a second thought, I reached for a dad-sized scoop. "No," he said, defending his ice cream with a spoon. "It's mine!"
Surprised, I said, "But didn’t I pay for it?”
"Then buy yourself some," he retorted.
We had some good-natured banter, but I it troubled me. After all, I was the one who had paid for his meal. Asking him to share it seemed like an appropriate expectation, and would have been grateful gesture on his part.
Yes, as he indicated, we could just have easily bought some ice cream for ourselves. But that wasn't really the point. It was his selfish attitude which concerned me more than my need for ice cream.
Which got me thinking.... Aren't we as selfish and short-sighted as my son when we refuse to share our resources with others?
Selfishness is a sinister character trait which eats away at our self-hood and self respect. Hoarding diminishes us. On the other hand, selflessness makes our sense of self grow.
Jesus understood this truth when he said, "Give, and it will be given to you," and in another place, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
God is the source of so much blessing in our lives. Giving a portion of those blessings back to him is a great way to say "thank you," just as it would have been for my son to say, "Sure, Dad, have some." Both of us would have enjoyed the ice cream a lot more!
My experience with Kyle reminded me of an event from my own childhood. I was probably eight years old. We were getting into the car when the subject of ice cream came up.
"I'll buy some for everyone," my little brother volunteered. (I guess we had all just been given money from Grandma or something.)
"Better him than me," I remember thinking. "He doesn't understand the value of money."
"Jeff, you've bought ice cream for the family before. Does anybody else want to volunteer?" my parents asked.
Awkward silence.
My Dad said to me, "Steve, how come you never offer to treat the family to ice cream?"
I'm sure I didn't tell him that I was too selfish to share. In my heart I knew it was true (as did my father, no doubt). I wanted ice cream as much as anyone, but I didn't want it to cost me anything.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like me. While grateful for God’s blessings, we find it difficult to express our gratitude through sharing with others. We’d like to be nice, but we don’t want it to cost us anything.
When this is the case, we prove an inconvenient truth: we love ourselves -- our comfort, our convenience, our ice cream -- more than we love others, for true love invariably leads to willing sacrifice.
Awkward silence.
I make many sacrifices for the sake of my family. Why? Not out of obligation or duty. Not out of fear that Child Protective Services will knock at my door. Love motivates the sacrifices I make for my family, and while it is sometimes painful, I wouldn't have it any other way.
It’s tragic, really. Churches struggle to make ends meet while their members begrudgingly give them the scraps from their checkbook. Worthy organizations resort to bake sales and begging in order to accomplish their mission.
May I offer a suggestion on this Valentine's Day? While you’re giving gifts to the loved ones in your life, give a gift to an organization you respect. Don’t do it to earn spiritual brownie points or to promote good karma. These are selfish motivations. Do it out of gratitude and love.
Go ahead! Share a little ice cream with someone you care about. You'll both be blessed.
Happy Valentines Day!
Naturally, dad wanted to sample his booty. Without a second thought, I reached for a dad-sized scoop. "No," he said, defending his ice cream with a spoon. "It's mine!"
Surprised, I said, "But didn’t I pay for it?”
"Then buy yourself some," he retorted.
We had some good-natured banter, but I it troubled me. After all, I was the one who had paid for his meal. Asking him to share it seemed like an appropriate expectation, and would have been grateful gesture on his part.
Yes, as he indicated, we could just have easily bought some ice cream for ourselves. But that wasn't really the point. It was his selfish attitude which concerned me more than my need for ice cream.
Which got me thinking.... Aren't we as selfish and short-sighted as my son when we refuse to share our resources with others?
Selfishness is a sinister character trait which eats away at our self-hood and self respect. Hoarding diminishes us. On the other hand, selflessness makes our sense of self grow.
Jesus understood this truth when he said, "Give, and it will be given to you," and in another place, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
God is the source of so much blessing in our lives. Giving a portion of those blessings back to him is a great way to say "thank you," just as it would have been for my son to say, "Sure, Dad, have some." Both of us would have enjoyed the ice cream a lot more!
My experience with Kyle reminded me of an event from my own childhood. I was probably eight years old. We were getting into the car when the subject of ice cream came up.
"I'll buy some for everyone," my little brother volunteered. (I guess we had all just been given money from Grandma or something.)
"Better him than me," I remember thinking. "He doesn't understand the value of money."
"Jeff, you've bought ice cream for the family before. Does anybody else want to volunteer?" my parents asked.
Awkward silence.
My Dad said to me, "Steve, how come you never offer to treat the family to ice cream?"
I'm sure I didn't tell him that I was too selfish to share. In my heart I knew it was true (as did my father, no doubt). I wanted ice cream as much as anyone, but I didn't want it to cost me anything.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like me. While grateful for God’s blessings, we find it difficult to express our gratitude through sharing with others. We’d like to be nice, but we don’t want it to cost us anything.
When this is the case, we prove an inconvenient truth: we love ourselves -- our comfort, our convenience, our ice cream -- more than we love others, for true love invariably leads to willing sacrifice.
Awkward silence.
I make many sacrifices for the sake of my family. Why? Not out of obligation or duty. Not out of fear that Child Protective Services will knock at my door. Love motivates the sacrifices I make for my family, and while it is sometimes painful, I wouldn't have it any other way.
It’s tragic, really. Churches struggle to make ends meet while their members begrudgingly give them the scraps from their checkbook. Worthy organizations resort to bake sales and begging in order to accomplish their mission.
May I offer a suggestion on this Valentine's Day? While you’re giving gifts to the loved ones in your life, give a gift to an organization you respect. Don’t do it to earn spiritual brownie points or to promote good karma. These are selfish motivations. Do it out of gratitude and love.
Go ahead! Share a little ice cream with someone you care about. You'll both be blessed.
Happy Valentines Day!