It's Just a Material Thing

I just finished glueing a ceramic bowl back together. It doesn't look perfect - not even close - but I'm convinced that if I put it high enough on a shelf, no one will notice the cracks that run through it like a family tree. Since I mention this on a mommy blog, you've probably guessed that the broken bowl is the result of an incident involving one of my children. If so, you've guessed correctly.

I know it's just a material thing, but that bowl happened to be one of my favorite material things. Fortunately, as I heard it drop to the floor, I instantly remembered a saying that a friend shared with me a couple of years ago: "Don't let your children think that material things are more important than they are." Well, of course they're not, so does this statement have anything more to offer? I think so, primarily because of how how we sometimes respond when accidents occur. If something breaks and we respond with a shriek and look of horror, a young person might be led to think that the "thing" is of greater value and more important to you than they themselves are.

Of course children need to be taught to be careful and to respect things as good stewards of all that the Lord has given us, but we can teach a child a whole lot by how we react when things break. For one, we can remind them (and ourselves) to value spiritual things over material possessions. We should be storing our treasures up in heaven, after all, where moth and rust (and kids) do not destroy. So the next time something special breaks, or gets lost, ripped, or colored, remind yourself that you can build up your children at that very moment. You can teach them that some things are unbreakable and irreplaceable--like their status as our children. You can glue into their hearts things like responsibility, stewardship, and teamwork (clean-up, clean-up). Finally, you can demonstrate to them that our priorities should reflect those of the Lord, namely Christ and the salvation that we have in and through Him!