The Power of 10

"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)

My middle child is such an amazing child. She has this unique personality coupled with a confident assurance in her own abilities and mindset. She twirls through the house to the music in her heart. She lays on the floor coloring with the same color on every page and can explain the picture to you with such interpretations that you would profess that there was a splattering of hues on that page. She can sit on her bed taking care of her dolls for hours on end, all the while narrating every single thing she is doing in real-time narration, "I am combing your hair. I am changing your clothes." We call her "Captain Obvious" for her way to point out what is right before you in such a stupendous manner. I say this all to help paint a picture of her persona.

The other day she was sitting with her Daddy on the couch watching her favorite show. It is an animated show that has music integrated into the story line. She asks us to watch that show with her no less than 10 times a day. Luckily, we have several episodes DVR'ed. As she sat that day with her Daddy, she was giggling, quoting the dialog, and singing along with the music. Matt turned to her and said, "You really like this show, don't you?" She said, "Daddy, I like it 10." Daddy then asked, "What do you mean 'I like it 10?'" She said, "Daddy, 10 is all the fingers I have. It's the most I can like it."

I sat there for a moment and pondered what my daughter had just said. I watched her as she stretched her adorable fingers as wide as her hands allowed and held them up for her Daddy to examine. She was right. 10 was the most she had. It was everything her hands contained. It was the highest compliment she could pay to that show. Then, I thought, "10 is her whole heart."

Jesus reminds us in the Gospels that we are to, "love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength." (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) He is quoting Moses' Law in that reference. Once again Jesus presents to us something that sounds so profound, yet holds such a simple truth within. The Old Testament gives us so many examples of people who tried to accomplish greatness in their lives outside of the help, influence, and strength of the Lord.

Remember Jonah? Remember King Saul? Remember Abraham and Ishmael? Time after time, we are witness to those who encountered God and were given a glimpse of their potential, yet they chose to work with their own hands to try and accomplish it.Let us look on the other side of that spectrum. Remember David? Remember Daniel? Remember Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego? Remember Esther? These examples teach us that when times get hard or the task seems impossible, leaving it in the hands of God will bring a profound result. Conversely, the people mentioned in the above paragraph had to learn the very hard way that doing it your own way will only bring disaster, distraction, and discontentment.

My sweet daughter gave her highest approval for her favorite show. She passed along the greatest measure of love that her 4 year-old heart had to give. I want what she has. I want a devotion and affection for the work of the Lord in my life that I give Him no less than my everything. I want Him to have my best, my most, my all. I want Him to know that He can trust me with His plans for my place in the earth and that I will work with diligent hands to be used to see them come to pass. I want Him to be able to be satisfied that His dreams for me were worth dreaming. His plans for me were worth His investment of His Son into my heart. His hopes and love for me are worth the blessings He sends my way each and every day.

He deserves my everything. He deserves my 10. He deserves the highest and most that I can possibly give. It is not perfect. It is not vast. It is not probably as much as others can give. I probably won't accomplish as great of a testimony in life as many, many others have or will. But, it is all that I have. It is my 10. And I will give it all to Him. Will you join me?