Sharing

Recently I started watching my BFF's cutie daughter 2 days a week. It has been really great! Inara squeals and gets excited every time I bring Marley in the room. She even said her 2nd word "Baby"...sounds more like "bayeee"...but I'll count it! We brought out some of Inara's old baby toys for Marley to play on (play mat, bouncer seat). Inara thought it was great she has been climbing all over them both.

Once thing Inara does not love...sharing these toys. She will be playing with something on the other side of the room, and the instant I put Marley in the bouncy seat...Inara must play with it too. I would tell Inara "No", and explain that we need to share with the baby. Obviously she didn't really like that. I would move her away and she would crawl right back.  I started thinking about why it is important to share. To make me happy? To fit in with social norms...sure...but it must be more than that....and it is!

God in his infinite goodness shared with us...so we ought to share with others! He shared His perfect Son and will share His perfect Heaven with us too! What a great example for me to teach Inara...and me! He leads us to follow him. Jesus shared His life with us too! How much better to teach with that instead of "share...its nice". Then I thought about it a little more. Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, and today Marley was definitely Inara's neighbor. What another great way to teach her by sharing her toys, she is loving Marley and pleasing God. I know she doesn't know all of this now...but doesn't it makes sense to do it along the way...instead of just one day when she is 5 and can understand  a little better telling her to share then? I hope I can find these simple teaching times to tell about Christ in our everyday happenings. I pray Inara grows up hearing about Grace, peace, obedience, and love her whole life.