When the need is more important than the want

 

On December 3, 2016 I was thinking during this season of the year I find that a lot of people are buying things that they want instead of what they need.  I understand how parents want to get their kids exactly what they ask for, but often after they get the toy for the child, the child ends up being disinterested in it a couple hours later.  Wanting things isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but knowing when the need is greater than the want is the important thing.

Sometimes a need can be obvious such as if you only have enough money to buy food or to go to the movie theatre, you ought to choose food as it will sustain you.  Other times it can be harder to choose between buying new clothes for yourself or to buy a gift for a loved one on their birthday.

On the other hand sometimes a need will come in a form of a person.  I have a couple of friends that don’t live near me, and even one that doesn’t live in the same country as me and I would give anything to be able to see them on a regular basis.  I think this can also happen to parents that work a lot.  Understandably money needs to be made to pay for the bills, but often a more important gift to a child is the gift of time.

When you give time to your children or loved ones in your life it can give them positive lasting memories.  I remember when I was in my 20s I was away from my immediate family for few months and I ended up staying with a cousin of mine and her family.  Their family was so kind and sweet as they welcomed me into their home.  I really felt the most loved I had been in my life at that point as I felt like I was a member of their family.

The gift of their love to me really was the best gift I could ever ask for as it was a desperate need I didn’t realize I wanted in my life.  I can still remember how excited my cousin’s children were when they heard that their mom’s cousin was coming to stay with them.  It was like I was a famous person to them when they finally met me.  When I played with them and read to them I ended up being such a cool person to them.

I can officially say they didn’t want me to leave, and to be honest I didn’t want to leave them either.  Spending the time with each of the children, my cousin and her husband made me see that it was possible to have a truly loving family, and I had hoped to have that for myself one day.  I didn’t realize that less than two years later I would end up finding that type of love with a man that later became my husband.

I think God was showing me through different times in my life that I needed to put that most important things first such as love and trust.  When I believe in God’s love and trusted Him then I was able to give love and trust in others in my life.  With that it helped me to see that God would provide for the rest of my needs and wants.

During this time of year remember to put the needs of your life first, and after that it’ll be easier to occasionally indulge in the special things you want.

Patricia <3 J

1 John 4:19    We love because he first loved us.

 

Here’s a song about our Lord would never run away, as He is always by our side.  His love is always there with us, and His joy fights with us each day.  And we can’t help but open our hearts up wide and raise our hands to Him for our Lord as done so much for us.

 

“You Will Never Run” by Rend Collective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRJJ6SuOClI&list=PL3whQX319DaB37iB8NZpJe206iSdpe3kc&index=164