What black beans taught me about coveting

In one of my first posts I wrote about the purpose of this blog-- seeing the Gospel in ordinary moments.

And since then, I've pretty much blogged about the "big stuff"-- first foods, first crawl, first watermelon eating contest...nothing about life's ordinary moments...

...which is strange since the sum of my life is mostly ordinary moments.

Like the day Aleigha was eating black beans in her high chair. One-by-one she picked each one up and artfully shoved it into her mouth. I turned my back to do something else, perhaps dice some fruit for her, and when I came back, I discovered...yes, that's right: she's helping herself to all of the beans.

Oh, perhaps she ran out of beans and didn't want to bother asking? Nope. She still had beans on her tray.

Beans in the bowl are far more appealing than beans on the tray....right? We laugh at her because it's funny to watch a baby want what she doesn't have, especially when she's only wanting black beans. But for an older child or adult, and especially for a follower of Christ, coveting is not-so-funny. 

"But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." (Eph. 5:3-5)

When we covet our minds become consumed with our desires...and little else.

John Piper defines coveting like this: "'Covetousness'" means desiring something other than God in the wrong way.

Misdirected desire-- where the thing I want and my enjoyment of the thing is more important to me than God. Coveting is idolatry. ("...who is covetous (that is, an idolater)." (See also Colossians 3:5.)

Oh, how I've been a covetous idolater. Where my mind is so consumed with what I want that my relationship with God and others is affected. Where I relish the relationships and things I have to the point of being prideful. Where I enjoy the things I have so much that I cannot see the needs of others. Where I want things so much I am drawn away from my duties and responsibilities.

Coveting, I am finding, is so much more than simply wanting something that you don't have. Coveting is misdirected love.

So, was Aleigha really coveting? Well, I dunno. Maybe she was just exploring the world within her reach?? But I think her actions speak truth of human nature: what is just out of reach looks delicious. {smile}