My youngest grandchild has a wealth of stuffed animals. What my grandmother Stuart might have called a gracious plenty. I don’t know the exact count, but I’m pretty sure all the animals in the national zoo are represented. Really, she has a lot.
A couple of years ago her mother bought her a very large round bag made of pink flannel that had a zipper in the seam. Its purpose was to fill it with stuffed animals and other soft objects to store them. And then it could double as a squishy chair. Kinda like a beanbag, but without the risk of strewing thousands of tiny pellets all over your carpet. Since that time, my granddaughter has had to save up her allowance to purchase a larger bag. Because she has saved up her allowance to purchase more stuffed animals.
On our recent road trip to west Tennessee my granddaughter had the backseat all to herself. To fill the void, she brought along at least six stuffed animals, three throw blankets, her tablet, her bag of snacks (I had my own bag in the front passenger seat), and supposedly her summer reading books. As much of a neatnik as I am, it really didn’t bother me much that the seat behind me looked like the aftermath of a rummage sale. When my daughter’s minivan is packed with their family of six, there’s not much room for overflow. So, I like being able to indulge them individually.
Coming home we had an extra passenger. In honor of her first horseback ride, my granddaughter’s grown cousin, Virginia, bequeathed her a stuffed pony roughly the size of a Dalmatian. My granddaughter was thrilled. She’s already in awe of her grown cousins and now has something that belonged to her idol. My daughter rolled her eyes at the additional clutter in the upstairs playroom. But she thought the gesture was sweet. And so long as the clutter doesn’t make it down to the living room, she appreciates that the 10-year-old still plays with dolls and stuffed ponies.
In Luke chapter 12, Jesus is confronted with a man who insists that Jesus “tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Apparently, the man recognizes Jesus as a religious teacher and someone with power (v.13). But Jesus replies, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” (v.13) Jesus wasn’t going to be trapped into a personal legal spat between two brothers. Instead, he turns back to the crowd he had been speaking to and tells them to beware of greediness. He says, “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (v.15)
Right now, my granddaughter has a wealth of toys. Many of them have been Christmas or birthday presents. Or surprise purchases from indulgent grandparents. Others she bought herself with money she earned from doing chores or pet-sitting for neighbors. She has cheerfully donated toys to charity drives at her school. She’s also passed many down to her younger cousins.
Are my grandchildren spoiled? Yes. Are they also kind and generous? Yes. Having a lot of possessions in and of itself is not a sin. Making the attainment of “things” your ultimate goal is. A synonym for wealth is abundance. Not just an abundance of money and things. Abundant love. Abundant grace. Abundant life.
The old saying “you can’t take it with you” is true. Especially if you’re talking about money or stuff. If you understand that a gracious plenty truly is plenty and a huge bag of things is only fun if you open it and share, you’re already pretty well off.
Laura
A Light for My Path 
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