Want vs. Need



The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights. Habakkuk 3:19

 
Yesterday I had the blessing of spending the day with one of my oldest and dearest friends. Pete and I went to kindergarten through twelfth grade together. We’re a part of that rare generation of Catholic school kids who stayed put for all of our school years. That was many years ago as Pete was quick to remind me yesterday as a rather weighty reunion lurks in the near future.

          It is always a pleasure to spend the day with Pete. We have our annual visit every year at Easter. Occasionally we squeeze in an extra visit but we can always count on Easter weekend.

          To say that Pete lives a different lifestyle than my husband and I is a vast understatement. Our home would fit easily into one of his garages. He jets off here and cruises off there without a second thought. There is plenty of plenty in his life while Otto and I count ourselves blessed when our bills are paid and we’ve been able to bless someone else.

          Every year on our day before Easter, just the three of us visit. We stroll through a tourist area near our home. We talk. We eat and we “shop” by which I mean we mostly browse. Although there was the one year that Pete purchased a piece of art the price of which would have paid my bills for a month. See? We’re not exactly alike monetarily speaking and this morning that turned into a huge blessing for me.  

          As we strolled along and I stopped to admire a dress here, a teapot there, a really cute nightlight, Pete would say to me, “Oh you need that.”  At one point I teasingly pointed out the difference between want and need and he quickly assured me that wanting something often made it a need for him. He said, in so many words, that the act of wanting easily slips into a need category for him. I told him for me that was mostly true only of chocolate. We laughed and went on with our day, me looking, and he pointing out that my “needs.”

          This morning, after praising God for my lovely hot shower (something I do often. Never take that loveliness for granted!) I realized, not for the first time, how blessed I am. My husband and I are in a season of struggle in some areas but not in our marriage. Though the enemy has poked and tried to separate us we’ve actually grown closer. In looking back at the things I “needed” yesterday I could easily see how much I already have. While I was showering my husband, daughter and three granddaughters were sleeping peacefully. Later today I will host a few more family members and a few friends for a celebration of Jesus Christ’s amazing sacrifice for us. My refrigerators are groaning with the weight of the food inside them and I dare you to open my pantry without causing a shift in the piles of bounty there. My home may be humble but it is filled with love. My family may not be whole but we are all healthy. And…. Jesus Christ is risen! In other words, I don’t “need” a single thing. Praise God!

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