Day 5: Winning the Souls

"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:15

I've heard many Christians tell me that they don't enjoy Christmas because of the amount of money they seem forced to spend. That's absurd to me. If Christmas has become a value of how much money you've spent on the gifts, you have missed the point. I've heard it said often, "he who dies with the most toys, wins." But they fail to tell you what they have won after they die. The toys stay here, the memories stay with those that you have left behind. Is the memory of having the most expensive gift at Christmas really one worth remembering for the rest of your life?

My mom had always told me that the little things she has done (that usually are embarrassing) now, will be the things I remember when she passes away. If you were to ask me today what those little things were, I could honestly say that I don't remember. It might be different when she's gone, but right now, I would only be able to tell you the embarrassing moments. I honestly and truly believe that my memory will become more fluent with the small things after she's gone, but for now all I can think of is her faith, not in how expensive Christmas had been, but how faithful she is to God.

The prayer of any real and loving father should be "will they remember how much I bought them, or will they remember how much I love them?" "Will they see how much time I've wasted ignoring the things that matter, or will they see how much their father cares for their souls?" If there's one thing to leave behind for your children, it will not be the many toys your have paid for, but the memories of love and Christ-like compassion you have shown, not only to them, but to everyone else you come across. For eternity, it won't matter who "wins with the most toys," but rather who "wins with the most souls."