Girl Scout Cookies

Here in the United States, we have an organization called The Girl Scouts of America.  They are a group of young girls who learn how to become model citizens.  They learn different skills and earn merit badges for their efforts.  One of their main fund raisers each year is that they sell cookies.  Each box is $2 dollars (us) and they are delicious.  My favorite:  peanut butter and chocolate.

Yesterday my family went to the grocery store to buy food.  We bought everything for the week and I decided that everybody should get something that they wanted, including snacks, deli meat, fresh bread, drinks, etc.  It was so much fun walking the isles and giving my family whatever they wanted!

On the way out of the store my children wanted to buy some Girl Scout cookies.  (They had a table set up on the sidewalk)  I agreed and bought each of them a box of cookies.  One of my children bought the peanut butter and chocolate kind, and my wife said “You need to share those with Dad!’  Their first reaction was “No, these are my cookies!” 

There in the parking lot, my wife took the opportunity to teach our children a lesson on sharing.  She said “See this cart full of groceries?  Daddy bought all of them.  It’s everything you need, including a bunch of what you want!  How can you let Dad buy all of this for you and you won’t share a few cookies that he also bought for you?”  My kids asked me to forgive them and shared their cookies.

Then it hit me; many of us (as Christ followers) are exactly like my children were with the Girl Scout cookies.  We often have a “mine” mentality.  How do we break that?

Here are a few thoughts:

·        Like the grocery cart, if we understand that everything we have comes from God, we begin to realize how crazy it is for us to worry about anything.  In the same manner that I provided for my family, God provides everything we need as His children.  He loves to do it!  (Read Matthew 6:25-34)

·        Just like sharing the cookies, is it not crazy to want to share our cookies with God?  Our Father has given us everything (Food, clothes, a place to sleep, etc.)  He only asks for the first 10% of what we have to go back to His local church.  When we refuse to give back to God, it makes no sense.  Anyone should be able to see that my children not sharing the cookies when there is a grocery cart full of food for them is wrong.  Why can’t we see that refusing to tithe our first 10% is the exact same thing?  (Matthew 6:33)

·        Giving back to God is a heart issue.  If you truly believe that God is your provider, giving it back to Him is easy.  If you believe that you earn your own way, then giving it back to God is difficult.  Sometimes it is impossible for us to do.  How you approach God will dictate how you handle “your” money.  (Matthew 6:24)

Don’t fall into the money trap!  Give your cookies back to God.  In return, He will shower upon you a whole grocery cart full of blessings.