"Are you kidding me?"

You hear a lot about resolutions this time of year.  I don't put much

stock in them.  What I would normally say is that I want to continue

what I am doing right and cut way back on what is not right or

not working in my life.

Well...

I knew my husband was thinking about getting us some new cool

phones.  I say cool because we are so NOT cool.  The computers we 

knew about as young people took up giant rooms.  Remember the

phone with the big round dial.  That is more us.  But a phone where

I could get online, take pictures and send them to mom or a friend. 

Get instantly on Facebook!  WOW that sounded fun!! 

 Ohhh the phone envisioned!  It would be beautiful!  Touch screen

and huge. 

You can picture my face when I see the actual phone he brought me.

It looked almost exactly like the no posting, no film taking, definitely

no Internet, flip phone I already had.  In my mind and I

am quite sure on my face, badly disguised in a grin, I was saying..

"Are you kidding me with this?  Where is my new cool phone?  Surely I

deserve a new cool phone.  Why can't I have just this one thing." 

After all God would want me to share more in the lives by posting

those cute pics.  Not to mention all the time I would save effortlessly

scrolling through and doing it quickly.  I could encourage a

friend in need, in seconds flat.  Oh, the difference it would make.

Then God said.

"Are you kidding me?"  "You do not NEED that stupid phone!"

It took all night to realize He, as usual, was right. 

So this year I am hoping and praying to let that horrible sense of

entitlement go.  To remember God not only knows my needs, he also

knows my wants.  He knows which ones will actually bring

me happiness and which ones, when chased, will not really

bring any meaning at all. 

When the truth is told, do you know what we are entitled to?

In the beginning, because of sin and our own sin nature, we

were entitled to an eternity in torment and with out God.  He choose to

send His own son so we could accept this gift.  So we could

not only live through all eternity in perfectness but here

on earth we could be in a wonderful relationship that will bring

us more joy, more peace more meaning than any thing made

by men. 

This new year I am choosing to lay down my entitlement for

worldly things, and pick up my entitlement that was given

to me by God to live, love and praise Him for all He has already

done and all He will do.

I pray that you all will have a wonderful, fun, praise filled,

grace received, meaningful  2011!