con men

you see them on the street, shuffling three-card monty, trying to sell you a Rolex for $10, or offering you the latest movie, still in the theatres. you fully know who they are and what their agenda is... to con you out of your money. who knew that a two year old possesses these talents!

my son, God love him, is the slickest little con-man i've ever seen. tiffany is out of town today and tomorrow, so it's me and him, all by our lonesomes. now, there's something that you need to know. about two months ago, he got introduced to money! he fully understands its use. when we go to Kroger, he always wants to pick something up off the counter and say, "Daddy, I wan-it!" I say, "Son, you don't have enough money." He'll say, "Uh-huh. In my piggy bank. Go get it. i wanna buy it."

you get the picture.

so tonight, we're upstairs, TV trays out, eating dinner, watching Dora The Explorer, and i notice that there is about seventy cents in change lying on the coffee table. almost reading my mind, he says, "Hey Daddy, I want 'dat money over dere." I say, "No son, that's daddy's money." and i take it and put it in my pocket. next thing i know, he's acting up, not eating, playing with his food. i say, "Son, you need to eat, or i'm turning Dora off!" I swear to you, he looks me dead in the eye and says, "Give me dat money, an i'll eat my chicken." so, of course... i folded like a beach chair and gave it to him! He ate all his chicken!!!! little con-man.

it got me to thinking. when it comes to our walk with God, are we con-men? do we try to bargain our way through life with God. the answer for me was pretty scary. i do. more often than i'd like to admit. it's something that i've really tried to be aware of and stop doing for quite a long time now, but the reality of it is, we are human, and we are prone to do stupid things. but the awesome thing is, we don't have to. what i've found is, as i walk closer with Him, seeking His will for my life, the only con-game i'm running is how to beat the devil and stay where God wants me. cause that's where i'm the happiest, and most fulfilled.

don't let the ultimate con-man con you into believing that there isn't a life for you that's more spectacular than anything you could come up with on your own. this is something that i'm really trying to focus on, during this teaching series that erik's doing, these four weeks. if you want to know more, come visit us at the Journey.

and just to let you know... if you look hard enough, it usually says "ROMEX", not "ROLEX"!

-peace