I’m often amazed at how God chooses what appear to be the most unlikely of sources or circumstances to speak to one’s heart. If for example, an elder from my church approached me and spoke about something that I was struggling with spiritually, I’d readily chalk it up as God speaking a word into someone’s life that needed to be shared or passed on to someone else. [purely hypothetical as I'm flawless 
] If I just “happened” to run across Scripture that answered a question or prayer, I’d take it as God’s wisdom and perfect timing in operation. Nothing too amazing there in that I expect to receive an answer or a word, considering the source. And then there’s kids. Those adorable mini-me, high maintenance, attitude having, bundles of tax exemption joy.
This weekend, my kids came over to spend time with the old man. Friday evening we had made plans while driving home to catch a Saturday matinee showing of Iron Man (only costs $1000 for tickets and refreshments vs $3000 for non-matinee show times). While in the Yota, my middle knucklehead drops a subtle hint about a sale going on at one of the local sporting goods stores. She’s a tennis player, and for it being her first year is doing quite well. Anywho, she tells me about the sale, specifically laying out details of a particular “high quality” brand of racket that’s on sale. I nod occasionally to let her know I’m listening, my attention somehow divided between the road, conversation with her, the knucklehead reenacting the Fast and the Furious ahead of me, and The Cross Movement thumping on the craptastic bass reflex speakers in the Yota. Yeah, “I rock” some TCM, 116 Clique, Flame & Lecrae with a little Mercy Me & Casting Crowns to boot .
So, I’ve been briefed, prepped and primed by the middle knuck. Now comes the first part of the sales pitch from my beloved child: “Daddy??? Do you think that we can go to the sporting goods store tomorrow?” (Picture a half hearted cheesy smile and fluttering eyelashes; this is the teenaged daughter equivalent of the Jedi mind trick. (Dead giveaway whenever the conversation starts with “Daddy” which really means; “I’m stroking your ego, because I’m about to ask for you to spend money on me you old cranky guy.“) Internally I’m laughing, little does she know that her wily girly-girly ways have no effect on me; the combination of divorce, debt & high fuel costs have me battle hardened, I will not crack!! I respond with a hearty “Sure we can!” (Translation: “Yep, I’ll take you, hope you have money, because I’m not buying anything.”)
Saturday morning rolls around and we make our way to the sporting good store. We pull into the parking lot, and I think that the middle knuck has a clue that things are not going to go as planned, so she drops more hints to reaffirm what in her mind is a done deal, the purchase of a new tennis racket. Now to be fair, I probably shouldn’t have laughed at her.
Once in the store, I’m led to the tennis rackets, and she excitedly points out the Model T1000 blah, blah, blah tennis racket. Come to think of it?? It actually sounded more like the teacher from Charlie Brown as she described it: “whaa-whaa-whaa…” We end up spending about 20 or so minutes in the store as she tried to wear me down, which I have to admit, she almost did. Yea, I started to fold a bit. I mean I had money to pay for the racket but, I didn’t have money budgeted for it. So there I stood for a few minutes with the best poker face that I could muster, contemplating whether to get the dog gone tennis racket. I ran through my head that she’s doing well in both school and in athletics, keeps her nose clean, goes to church fairly regularly, always helpful etc. Surely compelling reasons to seriously consider what she was asking for. Then there’s the fact that she does have a tennis racket already, barely a year old. “Hmmm….I’ve still got to pay for car tags this month, plus pay for both an air and cabin filter for the Yota”(mental gears grinding as I think this over).
And then.. some bit of wisdom, surely it’s Scripturally sound? God, doesn’t give us what we always want, but rather what we need. Ahhh, a moment of clarity then breaks through, See? I could have given my daughter exactly what she wanted, that tennis racket, but at what non-monetary expense. I had explained to her earlier that I hadn’t budgeted money for such an expense. By going back on my stance, principles I suppose, I felt as though I’d be sending the wrong message to her. Here was an opportunity to teach about being financially responsible in the most basic sense of simply sticking to a budget. An opportunity to show consistency in parenting skills? Here was a chance for me to also show or teach not to react to how as consumers we’ve been trained to jump at sales, just because their a sale. Some deeper lessons maybe for later, such as being content with what you already have or making do with what you have. Hopefully a lesson learned for her sake and a lesson reiterated for mine as well.
Grace and peace be with you.
