God's Perspective

“Don’t get me any more books, Grandma,” Ethan directed me on his last visit. “I have too many books.”

I can understand his sentiment. Some Children’s Centers would be overwhelmed to receive all his books - good books, excellent books. There is everything from Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss to a cookbook with excellent photographs of all of Ethan’s favorite vegetables.

I confess, however, that my heart sank just a bit at this pronouncement. I like to shop for books for Ethan. I anticipate sharing with him some of my favorites and discovering new favorites yet to come. In fact, I already have a stack of books in my closet anticipating the day when he will be old enough for each of them.

Books are important to me. They are important to Bill. They are an integral part of Becki’s and John’s and Aunt Deb’s lives. I wouldn’t say we can’t live without books, but life would be a lot less enjoyable with no reading material to escape into, to learn from, tomake us think and wonder and often debate.

Later that day I hesitantly offered Ethan the cute book I’d bought at the library book sale. He accepted it graciously and later in the day assured me he liked his new book.

I suspect that Ethan is sated with too many books for 3 year olds.

I am pretty certain he will be ready for books for 4 year olds, and books for 8 year olds, and books for 12 year olds, when the time comes. But he isn’t ready for them yet.

Perhaps we have overwhelmed him with too many books.

Fortunately all of us will keep looking for those great books that will teach him and whet his appetite for more. Fortunately we also know better than Ethan right now and we won’t quit just because he is sated for the moment.

Do we ever tell God, “Enough of this good thing! I am full up, overwhelmed with your generosity”?

Perhaps not directly, but I think we often do when we ignore His gifts at the end of a beautiful summer with more pleasant days than unpleasant. How many of us hear people remembering such a summer with, “It was too hot!” “There was too much rain!” “It was so dry!”

Or we complain that we are overweight – because we have too many good things to eat (ouch!)

We complain that our taxes are too high – because our income is too great.

We complain that we’re bored with our wardrobes, our house décor, our car model – because we have more than we need.

I have several friends who talk about their “cumber” and how to get rid of it. They are encumbered with too much stuff. “Please, God” they in effect say, “don’t give me anymore. I have too much already.”

Fortunately God doesn’t listen to us. He already has more to give us just waiting on His shelf for the right time. Days filled with light and moments of revelation. I’m glad He knows better than I do when to give me His good gifts.

For Ethan, this might be a good time to sort through all those books, perhaps some need to be put away for awhile and then taken out when they will be fresh and “new” again. Perhaps some of the books for 2 year olds need to be packed up and given away (actually, they do that regularly) and some books need to be left on the shelf because we never know when we will need to reference them again.

For me, there is a time to sort and pack up and give away what I don’t need anymore. But some of my stuff and some of my experiences need to be packed away so I can take them out again later when they will be fresh and new. And some things needs to be “left on the shelf” because I never know when I might need to reference it again.