One Heart and Mind

Acts 4:32 "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."

I remember watching my two children from the time they were old enough to grasp something in their small hands to today in their teen years and how they would squabble between themselves about a toy or some other trivial thing and yell these words at each other "It is mine, all mine, you keep your hands off of it or I'm telling mom"
I have to laugh a little bit now as I realize our children learn this not of their own will but by watching those closest to them - ya, you guessed it, their parents. I had to do some soul searching on this and realized I set a very bad example for them at a young age as did their daddy. We use to squabble over stupid stuff, material stuff that now a days has absolutely no meaning to me at all. Personally I would like to take all my "stuff" and just give it all away to someone else who would like it.
Though I tried in earnest to teach my two brats the meaning of sharing, and that it was ok to let your brother or sister play with your toy, or come into your room, read your book, etc. we as parents set a poor example when we ourselves would argue over who got to watch what TV show and grabbing the remote and yelling it is MINE tonight, which seemed to be the hardest thing for us to share...Shaun always wanted to watch his stuff and I either watched it or I did something else...but then like the man he is he solved it by getting a 2nd TV so now he watches what he wants whenever he wants and I watch what I want when I want. But in doing so, what did we teach our children? Yup, there is those 4 words again, "It is all mine!"
We as parents do alot better now that we are older and we take turns, we share, we compromise, we give, we love and forgive but in those first few years of our struggling relationship we ended up teaching our children something other than what GOD wanted them to learn as it states in Acts 4:32, so these last 3 to 4 years I am not only teaching my children GODs word and the right way to act and to share but to realize that nothing in our home, not even the home itself is ours for everything belongs to GOD.
Lord, forgive my ignorance in my youth, keep teaching me your word and how to act right, how to follow your word and to teach it correctly to my own two children. Give us strength to endure this world we live in and all the selfishness that has no place in those who You have welcomed into Your home. Help us to teach our children a giving spirit, a nurturing heart, a loveable nature, and a respect for what is right. Keep my heart and my eyes on You my GOD. In Jesus Name, Amen.