Soooooo quite a few years back, my good friends Joe and Anali Velez were here with their little baby girl, Alina! Like most babies, Alina loves playing with anything that makes noise, like wrapping paper, MORE that what is ACTUALLY inside the wrapping paper!!!
Weeeeeeeeellllll one of the days she was here just crawling around and she found a candy wrapper, she was just having the time of her life with it when once of her parent's saw it in her and took it away from her. You should have seen the look on her face when they took it from her, ABSOLUTE DEVESTATION!!!!
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That lil baby girl threw the biggest lil fit ever. We all tried to console her with other toys, I had just given her this really cool toy from a yard sale, a dancing swan, that lights up, sings, and swirls that carousal ANNNNND walks all over the floor...I mean, talk about a COOL TOY...from an even COOLER AUNTIE ;)...
I'm like,
looooook Alina, you want your Swan????
BUUUUT NOOOOO, she wanted her CANDY WRAPPER!!!
There she was, surrounded by other toys to play with, just crying her eyes out, meanie O parents had taken her candy wrapper away. It was just a little piece of trash, buuuuut for Alina, it was THE BEST THING EVERRRR!!!
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She had no way of knowing or understanding that her parent's were just being GOOD parent's, taking it away from her. Her parent's were looking out for her, they saw that it was small and despite her fascination in it, it could be harmful for her. She had know way of comprehending the danger, for her, it was her beloved little toy, it was HER CANDY WRAPPER!!!
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This got me to thinking, how often are we THE SAME WAY with God??? The world has littered our lives with little pieces of trash and every so often, something catches our eye...
Oooooh look, IT'S SHINY!
and we pick it up and start to play with it! Oh wow, this is pretty cool, it crinkles and makes a funny noise too...I LIIIIIIIKE IT!!!
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It could be anything, internet surfing, video games, influences, friendships, relationships, social media, etc...a thought or an idea an activity or place or person or just a thing, buuuuuut God sees the danger in it even when we don't, so, like a good and loving parent, he simply takes it out of our hands. And there we are, like a little baby, we throw a FIT!!! How DARE YOU GOD!!! How could you take that away from me??? It was just a little piece of trash but there you are, MAD at God because he was looking out for you! How can you do this to me God??? It was shiny and it crinkled, that was MY CANDY WRAPPER!
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And all we can do is focus on that little piece of trash that God took away from us, when meanwhile, like Alina was surrounded by nice toys she didn't want, we are surrounded by the blessings of God all around us. The goodness of God surrounds us. God has done SO MUCH for us, buuuuut ALL we can focus on is what he hasn't given us or what he took away, OUR CANDY WRAPPER!
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You guys, if God NEVERRRR does one more thing for us, He died on a cross for our sins, he took our place, he forgave us, he washed away our sins, he saved our souls from a burning hell, I think we can surrender a few candy wrappers that the devil has left littered on the ground so we can make it to heaven. And when God takes it away from us, instead of being a baby about it, THANK GOD, for being a good, protective parent that is looking out for you! We don't know better than God. We are just little children that a loving father is protecting from harm.
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Don't hang on to your candy wrapper,
it's a piece of trash!
Just let it go!!!
"If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles." (Job 11:14)
