Hey! That's mine!

A few years ago, I bought this mug. You can see, it's just a plain old mug. I would put tea in it at the office and it would keep me warm. It's ceramic, so it would keep my hands warm. After using it, I would put it in the dishwasher at the office. The next morning, someone would empty the dishwasher and I would find it in the cupboard, all clean and ready for more tea.

In the summer, I don't drink tea much, so I left my mug in the safety of the cupboard. Then one day - I saw it. In the hands of someone else in the office. The next day, she had it again. Every day she was using it like it belonged to her. I didn't say anything to her, but I thought it - "how dare she use my mug? It's mine, and she can't have it!"

OK. So why am I so upset about a mug that probably cost me about $2? I mean, I like to think of myself as a fairly generous person - I give where I feel God is leading. But don't touch my mug!

Today was clean up day at the office. Time to deep clean the office and purge files. I found my mug to take this picture - then I put it back, and have surrendered it to my co-worker. Seems like such a simple thing, but as God strips away the things that I am holding on to my hands are open to receive what he has for me. Even the little things block my view of Him and plug my ears to His voice so the only voice in my head is my own and that's a dangerous place to be.