Confessions: I Don't Like to Share

My sweet little two-year-old skips up to me and offers me a lick of her lollipop, while my five-year-old opens a big bag of treats handing one piece to each child in the family.

Wow, am I a super-mom or what?!

Oh, wait. Did my children share this prolifically before we moved to the village?

No...

Aren't they sweet?

Unfortunately for my parental pride, my sweet children have learned to share in this community where everything is for all to use. Ownership is such a loose term in these parts.

• There's a cow in my yard right now, and it is eating the tree I planted not long ago.
• My helper brushes her little sister's lice-filled hair with our brush...every morning.
• Our neighbors throw their trash onto an empty part of our land. 

The list could go on and on, but I'll just make my confession now:

I really don't like to share.

At least not certain things. Over the course of our now 8-month village immersion, all of those "certain things" have been pilfered, used in unusual ways, and, at times, broken.

I'm all for boundaries and ownership. Please don't get me wrong. However, God is teaching me such a wonderful lesson in all this.

You see, I find such pleasure in seeing my children share everything. I love the joy I see on their faces when whoever they are sharing with enjoys what has been shared. As the Lord drags me, complaints and epithets notwithstanding, down this road of "not withholding from anyone who asks," I am finding the same joy my children experience.

And it is kind of wonderful...and kind of addictive.

If you haven't listened to this story about ownership, take a listen. It's awesome:

The Pineapple Story