My beautiful niece, Debbie, was so much fun to watch when I was a young teen. I was in High School and she was a toddler. We loved being outside and when Debbie was over it gave her a great opportunity to play in the yard. She loved my mom and dad and we all worked in our huge garden in the back of our house.
One day Debbie was playing in the yard, while Mom was in the garden. All of a sudden Debbie began yelling “Woom, Woom, Woom.” She could not pronounce her “r’s” very well so “Woom” was really “Worm.” Or was it?
Mom left the garden to check out Debbie’s “Woom.” It was not a worm at all, It was a snake and she was trying to pick it up. Her grandma rescued her from a possible unpleasant experience. This became a funny story we were able to tell for years.
This reminds me of the things we chase in life, like fun, power, possessions, and adventure. We think they are one thing and discover them to be something else. We chase things, thrills and theories to satisfy our desires, but they never do. When I was younger, I bought a new care every three years. Why three years? That’s how long it took me to pay it off. I liked the bright, shiny, new prestigious car. I did not like the payments, insurance or upkeep. Did you know you have to wash them and clean them out, to keep them looking sharp? The desire for new is never satisfied, for shortly after buying “new,” it no longer is.
As a child, family reunions held at a city park was the ultimate fun. As an adult, my little niece, Debbie and her siblings Anna, Diana, and Tommy helped make these family times precious to me. When my own children, Leona and Lynnette were young they thought the reunions were the ultimate fun. Now that my kids are married, with children of their own, I realize that my longing is no longer for things, thrills, or theories, but for relationships. Time alone with God and time with family and friends have tremendous value and satisfaction.
The wooms of life, may end up being a snake. Seek first God and His kingdom and all these things will be added unto you.