Greed Vs. Gratitude

A year ago, I wrote about Zoe, my son's Labradoodle, stealing — and quickly eating — a frozen pizza that was setting on the kitchen counter. Well, she's at it again.

On Thanksgiving Day in 2022, my family had the perfect dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, casseroles, desserts, etc. We ate about 2 p.m., sitting outside in the warm sunshine. As we finished and started playing a few games, we were already looking forward to the turkey sandwiches that are also a Thanksgiving tradition.

After the kitchen was cleaned up, my son-in-law went in to cut up the rest of the turkey. He left the pan on the counter for a few minutes and came back outside. Suddenly, we heard a shout, "The turkey's all gone!" One of the others had gone into the kitchen and discovered the empty pan on the floor. Zoe stood nearby, looking very satisfied, her belly distended. She had been thorough: the pan was licked clean and there wasn't a spot of grease or meat on the floor. We think she ate it so quickly that the other two dogs barely got a bite. Afterwards, she showed absolutely no remorse — and no ill side effects. As my daughter said, "She still walked around the house waiting to be petted like the princess she thinks she is."

What was Zoe's motivation? I'd say, pure greed. If dogs reason like humans, her thoughts might have gone something like this: "There's a big pile of juicy meat on the counter. I like juicy meat. I'm tall enough to reach it. So I'm going to eat it all. And I'm going to eat it so quickly the other two dogs won't get a bite."

Luke 12:15 – Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own." (NLT)

Aren't people just like that sometimes? Simple things like jumping up to be first in line at the potluck or — one of my pet peeves — speeding by on the right when the lanes narrow in order to cut in front of me to avoid waiting for the backed-up traffic. Or, more seriously, going into serious debt to have a bigger house, bigger car, more possessions.

Proverbs 28:25 – A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. (ESV)

1 Timothy 6:6 – Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. (NLT)

Let's not be like Zoe. Let's practice simple things, like letting others get in line before us. Let's keep our spending in check, not buying everything that we want or see. Let's not be the greedy ones who upset everyone around us, but the generous ones who think of others before ourselves. Let's trust in the Lord to enrich our lives with His love and peace, and practice "true godliness with contentment".

Prayer: Father, help us to look to You for our contentment and to trust in You to meet our needs. Enable us to be satisfied with what we have. Amen.