Sharing

      I had a cool experience yesterday after church that involved two toddlers. We usually talk about toddlers and their tendency to hold onto things. Simply, their unwillingness to share. However, they can also teach us how to share. 
      After church yesterday I joined a few of the kids on the playground. One toddler was at the top of a slide with a car that he sent down the slide after which he followed. There was another toddler in a sandbox close to the slide who grabbed the car after it came down the slide. The car had enough motion to take it close (about 3 feet) to the sandbox so this toddler got out and took hold of the car. He began playing with it in the sandbox. The other toddler, after he came down the slide, saw the other toddler playing with the car and walked over to get the car back. The other toddler continued to play with the car, which brought the first toddler to tears. 
     I walked over to them to help them address the situation. The toddler who was crying said that he had the car first and wanted it back. I told them that they should both share the car. The solution was for each to take a few moments playing with the car and then hand  it over to the other. They agreed and so the toddler who was currently playing with the car played some more then took it to the other who was waiting for it at the foot of the slide. The toddler who had it first then took it up the slide and do as he did before. Then he give it to the other toddler to play with for a while. They did this for a while before the second toddler went off to play other games. It was cool to see how they honored the agreement and had fun in the process. 
     Sometimes as adults we also cling to things and are unwilling to share or surrender. We feel a level of entitlement for different reasons. Sometimes the things we hold onto are meant to be shared. Sometimes there are things both good and bad that we should surrender. Sometimes the things we cling to are trivial and should not be held with a "clenched fist". If toddlers, whom we say have a hard time sharing, can share something important to them and their enjoyment, can't we as adults also share? Can't we be more intentional to share the things we ought to? 
    The health of a church and any relationship needs sharing. The growth and development of others and our communities requires sharing. The prosperity of businesses is facilitated by sharing. The success of students is helped by sharing. The salvation of our lives and all the blessings we enjoy and are promised are as a result of God sharing himself with us. 
    What are we holding on to today that should be shared? What are we holding on to today that we ought to surrender? Let us ask God to reveal to us those things that we need to share and surrender. Then, trust him to direct how we surrender and share those things.