He❤️rt Lessons

This is my son Warren’s first year in public school and he’s loving it! In fact the other day I casually asked him if he wanted to be in public school or homeschooled again and he informed me that no way was he doing school at home again… “sorry mom,” he said, “but I can actually understand math now!” …well okay then son!

This past week they had to make Valentine boxes. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it for the sake of this post but I wasn’t that organized and it’s at school now, so no picture at the moment. He made a shoebox to look like a Pokeball (Pokémon) by painting it with red, white, and black. It turned out nice and was super simple. I bought him a large bag of individually packaged Skittles candies with Valentine cards to attach and pass out for their class party.

The evening that he made out the Valentine cards he happened to have his homeschooled sister help with the job. I didn’t think anything of it and heard the two of them spouting out his classmate’s names along with teacher’s names as they wrote them out.

After I had put kiddos to bed that night, I gathered up Warren’s Valentine box and cards and quickly noticed that on the from line where his name should go, it instead read ‘From: Somebody.’ I rifled through the cards and to my dismay observed that each card had been signed in the same way…

From: Somebody

Oh boy, I thought!!! He’s made an ex-homeschooler, rookie-Cupid mistake!! I headed straight to my groggy boy’s bedside.

“Warren, um why did you write from ‘Somebody’ on each of the Valentine cards? I should’ve explained it better that your name should’ve been signed on the ‘from line.’ Now your classmates or teachers won’t know the card was from you,” I gently declared.

“Mom it doesn’t matter, it’s just for fun and I’m not worried if they know it’s from me or not.”

I paused for a few thoughtful seconds, “you know that actually reminds me of a verse in the Bible that talks about not letting others know specifically of your good deeds toward them because we don’t need to be looking for attention when we give.”

“See mom I helped you think of that,” he replied with pure satisfaction and was soon fast asleep.

Matthew 6:2-4 says, “When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

Candy isn’t a necessity, although it is a special, sweet treat every now and then. The above verses obviously aren’t referring to kids celebrating Valentine’s Day with a class party but these verses echo the scene and heart of my son. He wasn’t concerned about receiving recognition, praise, or thank you’s from his cheerful giving; he simply wanted to have fun — without the desire to draw attention to himself in the midst.

Oh how often I tend to be the opposite! I love to give gifts but quite honestly I (selfishly) love the reaction from the receiver as well! Like I want to know that I was able to bless that person!

Giving is a beautiful thing…but if it’s done with the slightest bit of selfish intention it’s not in the best interests of the receiving end. This awareness causes me to take those verses from Matthew 6 into deeper consideration.

I think a majority of my giving goes toward tithing — but if I wasn’t getting to sign my name on my check would I be as excited to turn it into the offering plate on Sunday morning? If the elders, deacons, or church staff didn’t see my name attached to my share of giving would I be okay with that? And I think the harsh reality, as I ponder that idea, is a big no — I wouldn’t be as content with tithing.

Too often I get caught up in the “I’m doing the right thing by giving” rather than being content with being an unknown “somebody” kind of giver.

1 Samuel 16:7b reminds me that, “people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”…Such an important perspective in this.

So as I reflect on this scenario with my son and those Valentine cards from “somebody”, I want it to serve as a heartfelt reminder of the words in Matthew 6 and 1 Samuel 16 — remembering that giving (whether it’s through random acts of kindness, tithing, or gifting) should never include honor and glory for ourselves and it truly shows off best when done in secret for only God to see and for His purpose. Our giving (as Christians) should fully point to God who gave us the best gift through Christ — with unconditional love as His primary motive!

Author: alimw2013

About For His Purpose~ My name is Alicia and I'm a thirty-something year old who loves Jesus. Only through God’s amazing grace and mercy I have been redeemed from past regret and shame. Reading His word has allowed me to look past Satan’s forceful lies, to see myself for who Christ says I am in Him. Through writing I have learned why I made the choices I made in my younger years and I now have a better understanding of why I desire to love God like crazy these days. Despite my daily failures, God remains faithful always. I am reassured of His unconditional love for me by every ink-drop spilled out on paper, each committed prayer as I cry out to Him, and deep understanding reflected through reading His word as truth. Yes keeping a blog will make me vulnerable to others’ opinions- there will be some who don’t understand, some who may criticize or judge, but on the other hand if just one piece expressed through my writing grabs someone’s attention and directs them to God, then pouring out my heart in a blog for the world to read is worth it. I choose to glorify Him alone through words streaming across a glowing screen. And it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t reveal the fact that I’m incredibly quirky; I’m my loving husband’s best friend, my vivacious kids’ craziest cheerleader and spiritual trainer (3 John 1:4). I love anything farmhouse and rustic style. I think cupping a warm coffee mug in the palm of my hands is more satisfying than the contents within. I share a common obsession with my husband for the mountains, but I would (without a doubt) settle for waves crashing against my legs at the Atlantic Ocean just as well, and I almost always have a Yorkie curled up on my lap while writing. *All photos are photographed by forhispurpose.blog and therefore may not be stored or photocopied in any manner.

28 thoughts on “He❤️rt Lessons”

      1. “Vulnerability or transparency” is one of the major things that the Lord uses for our messages to prick the heart of others…

        “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?…Acts 2:37

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      2. That verse is a great reminder!!! Thank you!!
        I truly need to be sure I learn from this post and take the content of it to heart!! I need it to prick my heart as much as anyone else who may be in need of this message!🙏🙏🙏

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    1. Thanks Alan!! I sometimes fret around about the seasons from their very young years (missing those baby and toddler years) but I have to remember this season we’re in now is such a fun blessing….after all I was informed recently by Warren that he’s one day going to play football alongside of Patrick Mahomes…and he’s such a fan of him right now that he ended up having me perm his hair!! I’ll have post a pic sometime!😂
      Thanks for stopping in Alan!! Have a great weekend!

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  4. What a sweet and humble son you have there, Alicia! And now through your wonderful sharing of this story, I am so blessed and challenged. You and Warren have spoken to my heart. Fully pointing to God, as you said, and not to me is truly living the life that John the Baptist lived – “He must increase and I must decrease.” Thank you so much for this blessing in my life today!

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    1. Oh yes such a great verse to go right along with this….great reminder!!! Thank you Patty!

      I hope you made it through Walmart yesterday without any special nighties pointed out to you and the rest of the shoppers!😂😂❤️❤️

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      1. We went to a smaller Walmart in our little town. I was so focused on getting back to the electronics that he didn’t see a thing, and I don’t even remember seeing any hanging by the aisle. This is now my most favorite Walmart!! 😂😂

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      4. Lol I can just imagine him making a beeline straight for the electronics…my brother when he goes in Walmart likes to help clean the store which then causes him to self-identify as an employee of Walmart…he will even lay down on the floor aisles to reach for a piece of trash or misplaced item under the shelves..so there’s that!!😂

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      5. Oh my goodness, how adorable your brother must be when he does that! But I know it may also be somewhat embarrassing for your mother, or whoever is with him. 😊 Aaron loves to bend over and pick up things in the parking lot, in the crosswalk, or from the floors in the store. Pieces of paper, random old hairbands, coins, or even cigarette butts. 😬 He also searches for the employees so he can ask them where something is that we are looking for. One of my instructions to him, always, is to not ask the employees for help in finding things because he can find them himself, but he almost always manages to nab some poor soul! 😁

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      6. Yup we have the exact same with Jeffrey …and it’s very much a thing for him to walk in one set of entry doors at Walmart and check the change dispensers of the vending machines and he makes sure to go the other set of doors with the same goal in mind…sometimes he finds a few coins that were left behind and sometimes not…but boy when he does find them every knows about it…he celebrates finding a quarter like he just won the Nebraska lottery!!😂
        But yes at times things Jeffrey does or says can be embarrassing especially when people don’t know his story 😬

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  5. I loved your sons response. It’s always great when kids teach their parents. It shows that they are being raised well.

    This one is a hard one because God loves a joyful giver. But I guess it boils down to motivation. Is our giving genuine? Are we giving because we are joyful givers or are we giving because we want to be thought of as upright? This is definitely why they blew there own horns. They looked clean on the outside, but on the inside it wasn’t genuine. Our love must be genuine. I don’t think being excited for someone to open your gift is entirely a negative thing. If you bought that gift with love and you we’re being a joyful giver I think that excitement is normal and healthy giving.

    At times It can definitely be tricky to give in secret, I don’t think it’s always possible in every case, but I think it’s the motivation of the heart that’s the real deciding factor as to whether we are giving in the right way. Maybe I need to think more about ways that we can give in secret. What do you think?

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    1. Ya I love what you’ve said here Tina..I definitely need to explore and study more scriptures on this…my biggest struggle is with tithing mainly, for example if I turned in cash into the offering plate rather than a check on Sunday morning I would feel uncomfortable if those who keep track of the tithing thought I wasn’t tithing…and in my opinion that’s wrong of me…I hope that makes sense! What are your thoughts on that? …or like when I give a momentary gift I sometimes am thankful my name is included with the “gift” because it shows the receiver I care, I would struggle giving that gift without the person knowing it was me who gave it…ugh…this post has really gave me some thought provoking study..
      Thanks for reading and commenting lady ❤️

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      1. Oh, okay I see what your saying. The tithing thing is tough. I can’t really say for sure on that one because I can’t let myself worry too much about how people see us. People will see us however they want to see us. (It doesn’t mean that I don’t wrestle with that fear though.)

        The gift thing. Sometimes it really does matter that your name is on there. If I gave my mom a gift and didn’t put my name on it, how would she know that I loved her? (gifts are a love language) If I sent her an annonoymous gift she would think that I never thought of her. So sometimes it’s a matter of showing you care, and other times it’s a matter of seeing a need and giving without drawing attention to the fact that your giving and being okay with not getting any credit. If we’re giving to say look what I can do, that’s pride. If we’re afraid of what people think of us, pride is in there, too, because we’re again focused on ourselves. Humbling is hard. It means being okay if people don’t see us in a good light because we care more about how God sees us. Thankfully, it’s a process. It takes time to grow and change. Paul the apostle said he hadn’t yet reached the goal … but he pushed on towards it. ☺ Keep pushin’ sistah. You’re doing great. We have so much to process and practice!

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    1. Thank you so much, it makes me feel better knowing God can use it…because honestly yesterday after hitting publish on this post I felt like I hit an anxiety button instead…have to remind myself that’s Satan messing with me!
      Thanks so much for reading and commenting!!

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