Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” NIV

                                             
The first Barbie doll appeared in March of 1959 and at that time I had just turned 5 years old. I grew up with Barbie and I dreamed of one day owning my very own. In the 50’s and 60’s the average child received toys twice a year on their Birthday and Christmas. Birthday and Christmas presents, well planned because you knew it would be a long time before the next opportunity. It was in the early 1960’s that I actually knew that it was time for my first Barbie. Barbie was still new and the price was $3.00 which was a lot of money in that day and for my family. We were not well off but several months before Christmas I began to tell Mama I wanted a Barbie for Christmas to which she replied, “We’ll see.” Every time the subject came up about Christmas I would pipe in “I can’t wait to get my Barbie.”

When Christmas morning came, there she was under the tree. I was so excited as I ran to claim my Barbie but the closer I got to the box the girlish giddiness I felt inside rapidly faded away for there before me was not Barbie but Annette, a cheap knock off of Barbie. I was so hurt but tried to make the best of the situation. I really tried to love Annette even putting myself in her shoes and thinking what if I was Annette and no one wanted me for Christmas, just old second-hand–not-good-enough Annette. Taking her out of the box I reasoned with myself that she looked like Barbie but the plastic of her body was very thin and pliable-she just was not Barbie.

From that point on it was hard for me to hide my disappointment and Mama could always read my mind. “You don’t like your new doll do you?”she asked and to which I answered, “It’s not Barbie. I wanted a Barbie.” “You just wait and see Annette is going to be every bit as famous as Barbie one day” Mama said using the best sales pitch she could come up with in that moment. Maybe she is right I thought. Maybe Annette will be famous one day. I did come to love Annette and played with her for a long time. Although Annette never made the big time, never had Skipper for a little sister and never had Ken fall in love with her, I learned to be happy with what I had.

Paul wrote in Hebrews that we should be content with what we have. Living with less as the children of the 50’s and 60’s did, we desired less. We learned to be content with what we had. Having less we learned to appreciate the gifts we received. In the second part of the verse in Hebrews God said, “Because never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” Whatever we accumulate on this earth will pass away one day but our God is eternal. Only when we come to know that our God is sufficient will we be content. To live with less, to give out of what we have and to enjoy what we have instead of desiring more is what Paul is talking about in this verse.

Are we secure in our relationship with God to know that he is sufficient?

Lord, please always keep me mindful that you are sufficient to meet my needs and through that knowledge I know true contentment.

Copyright Kathie Fracaro