Have you ever “attached” yourself to something? Like – really attached?
Some babies attach themselves to their pacifiers for comfort.
Other small children have a special stuffed animal or my personal favorite, a blankie, and that is their comfort piece.
I still remember my blanket. I have no clue what it looked like (originally) but I know that when I began the argument with my parents about giving it up when I was six years old, it had begun to disintegrate. Parts of it were just the “filling” . . . and the corners were gone, literally, it was falling apart.
But I loved my blankie. It brought me comfort and peace.
That passed on, apparently, to our children. Both found themselves attached to a blanket until an appropriate age. Layne loved her blanket so much, we found it was the only thing we could use to punish her when punishment was needed.
Telling the truth is a big deal in the Smith home. At some point in her developmental journey she, like many children, began stretching the truth. We tried a myriad of punishments . . . they really covered the gamut of what punishments could be – some harsher than others. She’d probably be happy to tell you about some of them because they made an impression upon her. However, none made a big enough impression to cause her to stop lying. Until . . . we decided we would use the one thing that seemed to mean to the most to her. The Blankie.
One evening we caught her in a lie and decided enough was enough. We took the blankie, put it in the microwave, and told her if she lied one more time, we were going to cook the blanket.
Now, I have no clue what would’ve happened if we turned the microwave on with the blanket inside, but we were desperate at that point. We also were not parents that said, “one more time or . . .” if we said “one more time or . . .” we meant it. So – the demise of the blanket was on the horizon.
Apparently she “got it” and the lying stopped. After that, she was transparent and to this day we have an open, direct relationship.
Jesus wanted us to remember not to attach ourselves to the wrong things.
Sure, pacifiers and blankets are innocuous. But as adults, if we aren’t careful, we will attach ourselves to things and falsely think that will be the source of our peace.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .”
That poor is to become completely detached from material things and realize that things do not have the power to bring happiness or security. Then, we should BECOME attached to God. God alone can bring us help, hope, and strength.
Things mean nothing . . . God means everything.
How can we be poor in spirit today?