Faith

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Pink Chair
©

by

Stephen A. Peterson


It was a December, 2003 Saturday morning when I passed the bedroom of my nieces, ages four and seven. It is often interesting to listen to the conversations of little children so I stood around their room as they prepared to watch Saturday morning cartoons. The younger girl grabbed a small pink chair to sit down in. “This is mine!”, she announced. The seven year old immediately stated, “No, it isn’t, Terri! It’s mine, cause I had it when I was little!”

As the argument continued, I re-called the garage sell in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, where I first saw this tiny pink chair with Winnie the Pooh holding his honey pot to the front and rear of the chair. I was attracted to this chair because it was made of oak, heavy and appeared able to stand up to rough treatment. It was truly a favorite possession of MINE, and at the time of my purchase I put great emphasis on my ownership, just as my nieces were claiming possession. I realized that while part of me did not want to give up ownership, I was somewhat pleased that my nieces treasured this chair as well.

There are so many things in life that in reality God “owns” that I tend to think are mine—my house, my money, my car and even MYSELF. Yes, He really owns me! Like so many in this day and age, they believe that the possessions they accumulated are theirs. Possessions they believe they can use and abuse with impunity. Now I realize that I have not been under proper ownership. Jesus holds the deed and has stated my true value to Himself and Our Heavenly Father. As I look at the television news or read a newspaper, I lament the abuse men and women—teens, young adults and aged adults heap on themselves and each other. They celebrate sexual claims to each other’s bodies in unmarried situations without shame or regard, perceive as a right to take innocent life, determine the value of existence outside of the higher authority of God, and determine selfishly who has rights to exist beyond a certain period once they are determined to be human.

Day by day, I am trying to give myself entirely to Christ and let Him renovate the rooms of my heart, mind and spirit. In the same way that my little nieces can now use a pink oak chair more than I can. I truly believe Our Heavenly Father can use my life in a much better way than if I held on to it saying, “But it’s mine!”

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