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Keeping and Throwing Away

A couple of years ago, my daughter Megan wanted only one thing for Christmas: “Aqua Dots”. Aqua dots are liquid-filled beads that can be arranged into designs and sprayed with water to hold them together. The finished product could then be made into a bracelet or hung on the wall as art.

Every time she saw the commercial on TV, she said, “That is what I want” and so, one day in October, Sara bought the best Aqua Dots set up that she could find. We eventually wrapped it and put it under the tree knowing that Megan was going to be a very happy girl.

Christmas morning came and you would have thought that we had given Megan a million dollars! She was so happy with her present that everything else was left on the living room floor and we spent the next hour setting it up and getting it ready to use.

In the meantime, one of our friends called and in the course of the conversation, she found out what we had bought for Megan. “Didn’t you hear that those have been recalled”, she asked. Apparently, it had been discovered that the coating on the beads was harmful to children if the beads were swallowed. The health risks ranged from a stomachache to seizures, coma or even death.

When we heard this, we checked the internet and, sure enough, Aqua Dots had been pulled from store shelves all over North America.

So a half hour after she got the present that she had waited months for, we threw Megan’s Christmas present in the garbage!

Over the years, I have thought about Megan’s reaction. She did not complain, get upset or refuse to let us take her present away. Instead, convinced that what we asked her to give up was for her own good, she allowed her to let us throw away something that she really thought she would like.

The word of God lists many things that I should avoid because they are bad for my Spiritual health. Sometimes I listen and accept the advice and other times I argue, fight or simply choose to ignore what the word says. It can be difficult to see how something that seems fun can be harmful, but God knows more than I do.

Are we willing to throw away the stuff that he says is no good for us? Are we willing to let go of what we thought was best for us, or are we holding on tightly?

Only when we really listen will we know what to keep and what to throw away.

“For you once were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

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