Other's Toys

Going to the beach is always an interesting event here. From the old men and their speedos, the old women and their bikinis, to the younger generations with their own unique ideas of 'style'. To be fair it is the same when you go to an American beach. I remember a few years ago being at Panama City Beach with my family and seeing a guy wearing a thong, that's right a guy in a thong. And I think I would take an old guy in a speedo any day to a dude in a thong.

Anyway, whenever we come we bring various beach toys and floaties for us to use while we are here and then leave then here. A few days ago we went to the beach, we had all our stuff setting out, the kids were playing and then this couple came and sat down near us. They had a young son, probably 3 or 4. They brought toys with them for him to play with but he saw one thing in particular that we had that he wanted.

We purchased these water guns that are simply made, whoever came up with them made a mint. They are simple yet extremely fun. He saw the kids playing with them and wanted them. He would come over and try and get them and his mom would bring him back and try to interest him in his toys. But he wanted none of his toys. He just would not be satisfied until he had what he wanted.

Now this mentality can be both good and bad. It can be bad because we are never satisfied. For most of us, our lives are consumed with stuff. And we keep buying more and more stuff, because we can never seem to be satisfied with what we have. Marketing people have this figured out and love the fact the we have insatiable appetites. I am always amazed at how 'simple' life here is in Albania. Do not read that as a negative either, because they are happy and satisfied. They like being together and enjoying life. I think we, Americans, are missing the boat here and we are engendering this bad mentality in the next generation.

There is a positive here though. Being satisfied lends itself to becoming complacent. It lends itself to a life that is less than full or fulfilling. It ought to be no secret that God has created you for something specific and your life will seem less than full and satisfying until you live into the reality. So in a very real sense God lets a feeling of un-satisfaction dwell in our hearts until we seek and find his will for us. Until then we will always be looking at other people’s stuff, life and accomplishments and wanting to be them instead of us.