Wants and Needs
"We learned about wants and needs, Mommy." That's what my seven year old said.
What a teachable moment! I immediately started dialogue with my baby about how wants were things like toys and needs were things like food and a car... things we had to have for day to day life.
He agreed with me. His toys were a want.
And then he said, "It won't make you die."
I paused.
Were we having one of those "autism language moments" where I would need to further investigate?
So, I tried to help him get to the words for which he was clearly searching.
"What won't make you die, baby?", I asked.
"A car. It won't make you die, Mommy."
Pause......
Jen Hatmaker's words (or a Christie Aitken version of the same) hit me like a ton of bricks.
"If it's not true for a single mother in Africa, it's not true."
So, a car held up in that light. It's not a need.
It won't make me die.
If I don't have one, I will not die.
Jesus, take the wheel. Please.
Because THIS single mother who had equated my car with my very ability to take care of my children and provide...
I FORGOT, Lord.
I forgot.
That YOU are in charge of that role. You are our provider.
My car doesn't keep us alive. My car doesn't nourish us.
My car only puts me in a position of perceived control.... and that's not a role I want today.
My baby expounded, "Water will make you die. Food will make you die."
What he meant? A lack of food and water will make us die. That is a need.
And it's true for a single mother in Africa who is fighting for the very lives of her children.
Thank you, Lord.
For seven year old teachers and cars that don't provide for us.
My car died yesterday.
On the way to a women's retreat with my church in a city about 2 hours away.
My false sense of security died... completely stripped away via the tow truck that carried it to glory.
I have no idea when God will bring the next chariot, but I know that He knows our need.
So for today, GLORY is shown through a seven year old's teachings... because He listened to his teacher at school, and because he knows that words matter.
Lord, as I drink this cup of coffee that is so not a need, but a frill that You provide, make me aware of the actual NEEDS around me.
Bring me closer to you, and let this Mama REST in the overflow of Your love.
Love,
A Mama who has EVERY Need Met... Just for Today
What a teachable moment! I immediately started dialogue with my baby about how wants were things like toys and needs were things like food and a car... things we had to have for day to day life.
He agreed with me. His toys were a want.
And then he said, "It won't make you die."
I paused.
Were we having one of those "autism language moments" where I would need to further investigate?
So, I tried to help him get to the words for which he was clearly searching.
"What won't make you die, baby?", I asked.
"A car. It won't make you die, Mommy."
Pause......
Jen Hatmaker's words (or a Christie Aitken version of the same) hit me like a ton of bricks.
"If it's not true for a single mother in Africa, it's not true."
So, a car held up in that light. It's not a need.
It won't make me die.
If I don't have one, I will not die.
Jesus, take the wheel. Please.
Because THIS single mother who had equated my car with my very ability to take care of my children and provide...
I FORGOT, Lord.
I forgot.
That YOU are in charge of that role. You are our provider.
My car doesn't keep us alive. My car doesn't nourish us.
My car only puts me in a position of perceived control.... and that's not a role I want today.
My baby expounded, "Water will make you die. Food will make you die."
What he meant? A lack of food and water will make us die. That is a need.
And it's true for a single mother in Africa who is fighting for the very lives of her children.
Thank you, Lord.
For seven year old teachers and cars that don't provide for us.
My car died yesterday.
On the way to a women's retreat with my church in a city about 2 hours away.
My false sense of security died... completely stripped away via the tow truck that carried it to glory.
I have no idea when God will bring the next chariot, but I know that He knows our need.
So for today, GLORY is shown through a seven year old's teachings... because He listened to his teacher at school, and because he knows that words matter.
Lord, as I drink this cup of coffee that is so not a need, but a frill that You provide, make me aware of the actual NEEDS around me.
Bring me closer to you, and let this Mama REST in the overflow of Your love.
Love,
A Mama who has EVERY Need Met... Just for Today
Copyright © 2015 by Christie Aitken. All rights reserved.
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