of teaching you a lesson when you were trying to teach one of your kids instead.

My younger son is a passionate person.  Whether it’s helping a friend, wanting to start a business, telling people he meets about the Lord, buying the latest video game or something similar he is intense about completing the task.  He is a spender as well. (he gets it honestly).  I think he takes after his mom.

Anyway…. there is something that he currently wants.  Now you need to know that this list of things he wants can be never ending.  He has his own money that he has earned but as his parents we feel we need to help him learn to be patient and wait.  Sometimes we tell him he has to wait a couple of weeks up to a month before he can buy the latest thing he wants.  We figure that this will help him decide if it is something he really truly wants or is just a fad that will pass.

Well, I was having a conversation with him just this week and told him something I had heard that I thought was a brilliant idea to keep in mind.  The quote was “learn to want what you already have instead of wanting something new”.  Wow, great advice huh?

So I shared that with him a couple of days ago.  Fast forward to today.  I found myself at Staples because I needed to buy some printer paper for my business.  At this point in the story you need to realize that I have a huge love for office supplies.  Seriously, as a kid and even still, my favorite gifts are just goodie bags filled with pens, pencils, papers and such.  Well, at Staples I did something that I shouldn’t have….. I wandered around the aisles looking at all of the cool things.  I was so close to purchasing two things that would have cost me $36.00.  They were two things that I didn’t need.  It was so tempting, so very tempting.

As I was standing there in the aisle God reminded me of my conversation with my son.  It popped into my head “learn to want what you already have instead of wanting something new”.  Wow, thank you Lord for reminding me.  Just last week I paid off my credit card debt.  I don’t want to spend money on things that are not important.

I am happy to report that I was successful and left the items there.  I only purchased the paper I needed and then left.  Woo hoo!

Now, don’t worry Staples, you are still my favorite store and I will see you again soon!