Fidget Spinners

Oh the wonders of fidget spinners. When I first saw the toy phenomenon sweeping the nation I thought they were silly. I considered it the latest fad that would pass quickly enough. Then I went to spend a week with my family and my cousin brought a fidget spinner. Being the good cousin he is he let me play with it and I quickly found myself addicted.

On the one hand it was a very mindless activity, just watching it spin around and around but on the other hand I was able to come up with different things to do with it- I practiced balancing it on my thumb, then my finger. (Now I know kids do this all the time but I on the other hand had a very hard time accomplishing such feats) I spun it on the table, switched hands, even held it with one finger while my cousin, Ace, held the other side with her finger- it was a strange version of teamwork but a fun one and my awesome big brother took notice of my amusement.

On our way home Benj stopped at the store so he could pick up a few things and then we looked at the display of fidget spinners. He asked which one I liked best but I didn't really answer because it was his toy, not mine although he did let me play with them in the car. Pretty soon I was regretting the fact that I'd have to give them back when we got home but I didn't say anything to him. The next day as he got ready to leave I noticed that he'd left the fidget spinners on the counter. Confused, I asked him about it which is when he told me that he already had some at home, these ones he'd bought for me.

Excited and feeling blessed I immediately put one in my pocket so I could always have it handy to play with. What I wasn't expecting was how much it would help me. From something as simple as giving me something to do with my hands so I don’t pick at my fingernails, (a lifelong bad habit I’ve struggled to break) to actually helping me control my anxiety. When I start feeling anxious I just pull out my fidget spinner and it gives me something to do with my hands, allowing my brain to rest and giving me time to calm down.

It's interesting that a silly toy can have such awesome effects and that got me thinking about the wonders of human ingenuity. People are always creating new toys, devices and tools that are designed to entertain, distract or help us from/in our everyday lives. It’s rather amazing when you think about it. But where does that ingenuity come from?

Well its part of who we are. We are made in the image of God and His creativity is evident all around us. From His creation of mountains to deserts to oceans and forests to all the different kinds of animals He spoke into existence to the beauty of the sunrise and the majestic canvas of the night sky. He created it all, including us. Our creativity is only a dim reflection of His. The ingenuity humans has is really just one more way we show His handiwork in our lives.

Next time you see a new technology come out, or hear about a new cure for whatever disease, or even just find a cool new toy, take a second to thank God for the ingenuity and creativity He gave to those who invented it.