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Cheerios — More Than Cereal

There is a fine dusting of powdered cheerios on everything in my house — but, the majority of it resides on my floors. I am not kidding or exaggerating when I say that I’ve swept the floor five times just tonight.

Make no mistake — there are still crushed cheerios lurking around somewhere.

As those of us who have been here before, this is clearly a “Welcome to Toddlerhood” moment.

The littlest Fuller is toddling around full speed, egged on by the eldest. The big kiddo and the little kiddo get along just fine, much like two peas in a pod. Where the language barrier could provide a hiccup in their plans, they make due with a ridiculous amount of giggles and peals of laughter.

While I regularly battle tiny particles of ground cereal, those two are roaming around the house, finding trouble in every nook and cranny. I guess it’s not so much trouble as it is messes. The girls could wreck a house in 20 seconds, even if they only had access to a paperclip and a box of tissues.

I’ve never really seen their process, but I know they’re very good at what they do.

I’ve sort of given up on the Martha Stewart organizational, neat and proper idea for more of a realistic, baby-socks-hidden-in-every-couch, dishes-in-the-sink, cheerio-floor-coating kind of outlook. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it’s what has happened.

I guess when it comes to Cheerios and life, we kind of have to take a step back and look at what really matters most to us. Does it mean more to you to have a spotless house or play one more card game with your kids? Is it more valuable to have money in the bank or watch another episode of Puppy Dog Pals with your baby?

At the end of the day, whether it’s Cheerio dust or the details of life you’re facing, the important stuff will always win out. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us not to try to build up a mass of material wealth and accomplishment on earth, but rather to focus on those important treasures in heaven.

“‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'”

Does this mean that we have a vault up in heaven somewhere with heavenly jewels? I can’t be certain — but I have a feeling that is not the case. To me, Jesus is telling us to store up true treasures like love for God, our family and our neighbors; to focus on the delights of the Lord — to reap the fruits of the Spirit, and leave the material goods and the worldly obsessions alone.

That also means: leave the Cheerios alone for a minute and love your kids. The Cheerios will be there tomorrow, I can almost guarantee it.

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