When I was a wee lad our family would pile in the old car and head south to visit kin. In those days farms lined about every highway and byway. That tickled my fancy plenty. Surely the littlest tyke in that southbound car had farm blood pumping through his veins. A great farmer twas I except for the fact I still sat on my momma’s lap. There again, in those days, the seat belt was your mom’s arms wrapped around you or even the back of her arm if you stood in the middle of the front seat. I stood there a lot to help me win the game. What game? I had three older siblings in the back and we liked to play “Mine!”

With Dad’s country music on the radio, the car would round a bend or crest a hill, and us kids would be yelling “Mine!” We claimed whatever animals we spotted in the fields or by the barns. Cows were my forte. Usually the other kids wanted the horses and maybe settle for some sheep or a collie dog. They kind of knew I’d throw a major fuss if they tried to contend for the bovines. Sometimes they would take my cattle just to get me howling.

One thing about the game “Mine!” that always stayed the same - we never brought any of those animals home with us. The obvious reason being they didn’t really belong to us. They were owned by the farmers. But then again, the farmers couldn’t really say “Mine!” either because Someone else has a hand in the game. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (There goes my cows!L ) I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the fields are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness.” (Psalm 50:10-12)

What can we actually claim to be “Mine!”? Our stuff? Hardly. “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (I Tim 6:7) Our bodies? Nope! “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Cor 6:19-20)

There is only one thing we own, one thing you and I can claim is “Mine!” God gave it to us and refuses to take it back of His own accord. He gave us a free will. And we can will to do as we so chose. God also put things in order in this world and in our lives with this direction always heading north and that east, and this narrow road always leading to life ever-lasting with Him and that wide road leading forever away from Him. God loves us and we can return His love or choose to love the world instead. It is whatever we will. He redeems us, pursues us and woos us, but He won’t take our will from us. He’ll only accept it when we give it to Him freely in love, faith and trust.

There is nothing worth having (even cows) in comparison to willing and saying of the Mighty One, God the Lord, He is “Mine!” and I am His. Have you done that in your life?