Here’s a simple experiment for those of you with small children. If you have older children, drift back to that time in your life when sleep was not an option. No children?  Borrow a toddler for a few days. Or just trust that I know what I’m talking about.

Here’s the deal. First, take your small fries to a daycare or a church nursery. Drop them off. Come back and get them, and watch what happens now that it is time to leave. Do they whine and cry about taking the toys with them? Do they roll around on the ground and throw a fit at the thought of leaving empty-handed? What usually happens is they are so excited to see you that they run to the front door and can’t wait to get scooped up by mom or dad.

Now, head on over to Toys R Us. Take your children down a few aisles. Let them play around with some of the items on the shelves. Now, try to leave without purchasing something and watch what happens. Is it the same as the daycare? Which, by the way, probably had a lot of the same toys sitting around. Nope. What usually happens is your children plead and beg and cry and tug at your shirt. Desperate. They’ll do anything, say anything. Just please, please, please buy something, ANYTHING.

What’s the difference? It’s quite simple. And you probably don’t need me to tell you what’s going on, now do you?

At the daycare, the child has figured out that the toys stay right where they are. They’ve come to expect that they are leaving without them. The toys can help pass the time till they get picked up, but they aren’t a lasting possession. So, it isn’t a big deal. When the parents get there, the kid is just glad to make a break for it.

But at the toy store, it’s a different story. Your child has learned that there is a decent chance to walk away from that place with a surprise or two, and they probably have figured out the most effective techniques for squeezing a few bucks out of your wallet. The expected outcome is that something is going home with them. They are playing for keeps.

In 1 Timothy, it clearly states that we come into this world with nothing, and it is certain that we won’t carry anything out either. It’s a daycare kind of deal. But I for one repeatedly approach life like a trip to Toys R Us. Struggling, stressing, scratching and clawing for stuff (ranging from toys, to status, to security) like I fully expect to carry it out with me. It’s so easy to let the toys define me. The stuff, the status, the accomplishments.

1 Timothy cautions against trusting in uncertain riches or leaning on knowledge at the expense of faith. In chapter 6, verses 4-5 it suggests this will result in envy, strife, reviling and evil suspicions. “Useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

I many times place my faith in the security of stuff. As well as the comfort of knowledge. And when I do that, I’m really saying I trust myself more than God. What I’m really saying is that I value the toys more than my father coming back for me.

Question: How would your life and your faith be different if you treated stuff as if you were in a daycare instead of a toy store? I’m pondering this question as well this week.