The Missing Piece

My children & I spent President's Day laughing at the antics of a dog named "Bolt" in the Disney movie of that title. After our trip to the $2 movies, we headed for McKays (books & movies). They love going there. They usually get about $3 or $4 each to spend there, and walk out with a bag full of stuff!

I, too, enjoy shopping there. I always pick up a few old dollar VHS movies for Tyler & I to watch later. And today was no different. I found 6 movies that looked entertaining, and purchased those.

I also found something else...

A Leapster cartridge.

A what?...you might ask.

A Leapster cartridge...or what I thought was a Leapster cartridge.

Let me explain what that is. About 3 years or so ago, our precious "Nana" gave each of the girls a Leapfrog Leapster. You purchase game cartridges that fit into the Leapster, and the kids play educational games.

The Leapsters are worth their weight in gold. Long drive ahead? No problem! Leapster can handle it...and Leapster can handle your kid. It's an amazing "toy". Hands down...the toy of the decade!!! And you know it's gotta be a big deal for a Mom of FIVE KIDS to say that!!!

So I "found" a Leapster game cartridge today...or so I thought. Unfortunately, the package only had the instructions to THE hottest game cartridge on the market...or rather NOT on the market. It was the "Junie B Jones" cartridge, which is no longer available for purchase at retail stores. And I had the package in my hand, with the instructions on how to play the game. So while I had all the necessary elements for the Leapster unit, one very important thing was missing...the game itself.

We desperately dug through the bin where we found it. No Junie B Jones game cartridge. We asked at the service desk...no Junie B Jones.

Did I tell you that I had been searching on Ebay for Junie B Jones? Yes. And around Christmas when I really wanted that game cartridge, and everybody else did too...it was selling for around $60...USED, and Amazon currently has it on sale for $79. So imagine my initial reaction today at finding the package at McKays for $5.95...
FIVE DOLLARS AND NINETY FIVE CENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, all the searching led to...NOTHING. I was so disgusted!
"God...that would have been such a blessing!" I complained, "Why would you allow me to find that, only to discover that it was missing the vital piece that would make it function?".

And here is what God told me...

"Because you need to realize what blessings you miss out on when you go about your day and leave Me out. I'm the vital piece that makes your day function as it should. You have all the paperwork you will ever need (the Bible). You have all the resources it takes to live and breathe, because I've provided that. Now you need to make me a "habit"...you need to make sure that you have the most important piece of your life in running order each and every day."

See folks...we can have it ALL. We can have all of our needs taken care of. We can live a carefree lifestyle. Money...no object. Power...at our fingertips. Status...right outside our door. But we ABSOLUTELY can't function properly if we're missing the most important piece of all, which is Christ. How frustrating was it for me today, to discover this game package at a mere fraction of the cost...only to find that it was missing the very piece that makes it a game?
.

How do we play the game of life

without the One Who CREATED the game???

We can't do it successfully. We can drag out all the stuff we think is necessary. We can put forth tons of effort. But if we don't have that relationship with Christ, we'll never be able to play the game. We won't REALLY be living.

I was still irritated about that missing game cartridge when we got home. But God reminded me that He has a purpose in that situation. Maybe someone else needed that cartridge worse than my kids. Or maybe it didn't work properly. It really doesn't matter at this point. It's just another game.

And who needs a "Junie B Jones", anyway?

I've already got a

.

Summerlyn B Jones... a

.

Savannah B Jones... & a

.

Scarlett B Jones...

I don't think I could handle anymore...