Mine!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 18:1-2

Today's Treasure: "I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 118:1-2).

One of the first passionate words out of a toddler's mouth is, "Mine!" I'm not even sure this word has to be taught. I don't know many moms and dads who stomp their feet exclaiming, "Mine!" No one will argue where two-year-olds get "No!" but where in the world do they get "Mine"? I'd like to suggest that possessiveness is one of the most intrinsic elements embedded in the human psyche. No one has to learn a "my" orientation. It's intertwined in every stitch of our DNA.

In our culture a large part of what we call maturity is gaining some kind of respectable control over our "my" orientation, and rightly so. The inmost desire to have something we can call our own, however, does not make man bad or even selfish. In fact, I think it's fundamental to our personhood; but as usual our flesh natures etch their doctrines from basic human rights wigged out of control.

God created us with a need to know something belongs to us. From the time we are toddlers, we begin testing what is ours by process of elimination. Everything is "mine" until we learn from our parents what doesn't belong to us and what can be taken from us. "No, child, that's not yours, but here's this blanket. It is yours." In fact, perhaps we could say that maturity is not so much disregarding our "my" orientation as learning how to appropriately recognize and handle what is and isn't ours.

I don't know about you, but I need to know that a few things really do belong to me. I might tell you to drop by my house this afternoon, but even after eighteen years, that stack of bricks really belongs to the bank. For most of us, so do our cars. And speaking of banks, the bank account I call mine could disappear in some unforeseen financial disaster tomorrow and so could yours. When we really consider the facts, each of us can call very few things in life "mine." Like the toddler, we also often learn by the process of elimination. I have insisted a few things were mine that God has found very creative ways to show me otherwise.

I am convinced that a certain need to possess is so innate in all of us that if we could truly not call anything our own, our souls would deflate with hopelessness and meaninglessness. Please hear this: ours is not a God who refuses us the right to possess anything. He's simply protective enough of our hearts not to encourage a death grip on things we cannot keep. He's not holding out on us. He's not dangling carrots in front of our noses then popping us in the mouth when we lunge to bite the bait. Contrary to much public opinion, God is not playing some kind of sick "I-created-you-to-want-but-will-not-let-you-have" game with us. Quite the contrary, the Author of Life will only encourage us to call "mine" what is most excellent. Most exquisite. To those who receive, God gives Himself.

God called the psalmist David a man after His own heart. Here are a few ways he freely exercised his "my" orientation in Psalm 18:1-2:

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold.

Life abounds with boundaries and No Trespassing signs. Part of the human condition means that to live in any semblance of order, we confront a never-ending influx of "no's." In the midst of so much we cannot have, God says to His children, "Forsake the lesser things and have as much as you want of.Me." Remember, John 3:34 says God gives His Spirit without measure. While God is the owner and possessor of all things, He freely invites us to be as possessive over Him as we desire. He is my God. And your God. He's the only thing we can share lavishly without ever decreasing our own supply.

God, thank You that I can call You mine. Only You could ever be enough to fulfill the longing of this soul. Forgive me for believing for so long that You wanted me to live an unsatisfied life. You are the most exquisite, most excellent possession. Amen.

Adapted from Beloved Disciple, by Beth Moore, pages 185-186. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2003. Used by permission.