Just Ask... Just Give.

It’s easy for me to grasp the fact that everything that belongs to mum is mine. What’s hers is mine and what’s mine is mine. I haven’t been able to discipline myself when it comes to her possession.

I wear her laces, I use her jewelry, her shoes, her perfume, her sunglasses, and her bags… With my sisters and aunts, I have self-control, or fear control. Sisterhood stops when it comes to grabbing their stuff and acting like it belongs to you.(Well, except they travel and you use their stuff and then have to hide your pictures so they don’t find you out.)

Mum’s enjoying a meal, and I waltz in and take over.

Her last sip of coke, I want.

Her car, I use and even grumble when she’s out for long and I need to go out.

She’s my earthly mother and there’s no way she would withhold anything good from me, as long as she can get it, she'll go all out for me…. How much more our heavenly father?

Mum travelled and bought herself beautiful new bags. One day, I decided I was going to use one of the new handbags she got. I searched her room but couldn’t find any of her new bags. Why would she hide her bags from me? I searched everywhere, all the hiding places… I couldn’t find any of the bags. The only way to get them was to ask her, but I didn’t bother. It was strange that I had access to her gold, which is obviously more expensive than the bags, but not the bags. Why would the jewelry be easier to find than the bags? There’s no way she wouldn’t have told me where the new bags were, even if she grumbled about me using her new purchases.

But I didn’t ask her, so I didn’t get to use it when I wanted to.

What are you trying to access from God? It may seem little or irrelevant, but some things no matter how little they seem, wouldn’t get to you if do not ask. God may give you that car without you even praying about it, or He would preserve your life without you having to pray for long life, but He would wait for you to ask him when you need a phone or something that seems smaller than a car or irrelevant compared to life… I had access to mums more expensive gold in it’s hiding place, but I didn’t get her bag that was worth less because I didn’t ask. Don’t just sit grumbling while waiting for a need you haven’t asked God to meet…  “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?” Matthew 7:7-11(msg)

I grumble when mum wants to use my stuff, which isn’t often. My precious bottle of Chanel perfume was in the last drops and she would come into the room and before stepping out, spray a little and my soul would hurt real bad (It doesn’t matter that I spritz a cocktail of her perfumes everyday). The other day she decided to use my bag, I should have given it to her and asked her to keep it since she liked it, but I wasn’t about sacrificing my Prada to the woman who has given me the world. I gave her the bag and made sure she knew it wasn’t for keeps by the way I talked about it when I handed it over, she returned it swiftly after her day out and told me how everyone seemed to like the bag, that was my cue to say “you can have it mother dearest”, but I quickly took it and put it in the dust bag! I’ve got stories of other sacrifices I have grumbled or refused to make for her even as much as I love her and enjoy receiving her love.

What is God asking you for? Like I grumbled at mummy, do we grumble for the little sacrifice He gently pleads with us for? Like a few minutes of prayer and worship, or giving an offering or when he nudges us to give out from something He blessed us with, to be a blessing to someone else… or volunteer your time or something little compared to what He’s done and willing to keep doing for us? Sacrifices for God takes nothing out of you even though your flesh may hurt at that moment, rather, it increases you in more ways than you can ever imagine. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap...” Luke 6:38 ”Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.” Psalm 126:5 and so much more promises for those that yield and do not hold back from God.

Ask when you’re in need of the littlest thing and watch Him respond… Same time, don’t be so spoilt that you can’t sacrifice a pinch of love for the one who loves you wholly as you are.