A Hard Choice

This is the time of year for choices.
This is the time of year for decisions.
I watch people in the stores as they hold out two hangers.
You can see the wheels turning as they try to decide between this shirt or that one.

When a decision is made, that usually means something else is laid aside.
You must give up one thing for another.
If you are shopping for a gift that is not life changing.
Given a harder choice, the decision means everything.

I happened to see a short video.
I thought the premise was interesting.
I also thought that what was being asked was a hard choice for a child.
I wondered how I might have responded at their age or even how my children would respond.

I guessed that the children in the video were probably fifth or sixth grade.
They were asked what gift they wanted for Christmas.
Their answers were answers you would expect: computer, barbie house, trophy case, X Box 360.
Then they were asked a second question.

What do you think your Mom or Dad would want for Christmas?
Each gave an answer.
A new TV, jewelry, a watch, and a ring were gifts they listed.
None of the children knew their answers were being filmed.

After this conversation took place, the hard choice was set before them.
Two presents were placed on the table.
After opening the first one, they discovered that the present they wanted was inside.
Upon opening the second one, they saw that it was the gift for their mom or dad.

The children were so excited.
They couldn’t believe what was in front of them.
Then they heard the difficult words.
They were asked to make a decision.

There was a catch.
You can either get the gift for yourself or you can pick the gift for your mom or dad.
I groaned along with the children.
That is a difficult choice for adults to make when a dangling carrot is placed before you.

My heart went out to each of the children.
Not because of the gift itself but because of the decision.
Do I put myself first or do I think of another?
Even if each child knew what they should do, the present they wanted was before them.

That’s what happens as you get older.
Thinking of another takes over or at least it should.
We begin our lives so self centered.
We have to be in order to survive since our physical needs must be met by another.

As we grow, we learn that the world does not revolve around us.
At least we should learn that important lesson.
It is then that choices must be made.
Do I think of me first or do I think of another person first?

In theory, that should be an easy choice.
Often it is.
However, there are those times when doing the right thing is very hard.
Doing the right thing means giving up something we really want or something we want to do.

My heart went out to the children.
I couldn’t wait to see their response.
I was hoping I would hear the reasons why they made the choice they did.
I was not disappointed.

On that day, Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build and altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad. When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the LORD that the plague on the people may be stopped.” Araunah said to David, ” Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. O king, Araunah gives all of this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the LORD your God accept you.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. (2 Samuel 24:18-25)

This threshing floor that David bought from Araunah became the site of the Temple.
David knew that true sacrifice costs.
David knew that you do not offer God something that costs you nothing.
It is the same for us.

Gifts we give to another must cost us something.
That cost is not always monetary.
The cost is often in the giving of ourselves.
The cost is often laying aside something we really want for the sake of another.

Each of the children chose the gift for someone else over the gift for themselves.
Each had a reason for their choice.
Their reasons touched my heart.
When their mothers heard what they did and why they did it, they were incredibly blessed.

Legos don’t matter. Your family matters. Not toys; your family. So it’s either family or Legos and I chose family.

If I get a laptop, my mom will lose something.

These children knew what King David knew.
Sacrifice must cost something.
That kind of sacrifice blesses another.
That blessing is the greatest gift of all.

2 responses to “A Hard Choice”

1. Very moving. Wish this would go viral! Thanks Gina.

   Reply

   • I’m glad you were blessed, Pat! This video touched my heart!
     It is a good reminder for all of us: sacrifice costs something!
     Gina

     Reply