I guess the best way to approach this is break it down into three things I have learned recently - not learned because I didn't know them, but learned in the sense that they have truly been revealed to me and I simply can't ignore them.
1. Prayer
For literally as long as I can remember, I have been taught to pray. When I was little and used to pray, it started like this (literally every time...my poor mom) "Dear Jesus, thank you for this day, help us to be grateful and not be complainers. Please be with me and mom and dad and grandma and grandpa doss and grandma Rose and grandpa John and Breann....." the list would literally name EVERY single person I knew, and some I didn't...like the President, and I think I even prayed for fictional characters sometimes. Like I said, my poor mom. Yes, prayer evolved over time, but I never quite grasped what prayer could accomplish. Not having an agenda when praying is essential. James 1:5-8 tells us "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do." (NLT)
This has been proven to me over and over again, this week even! Praying with faith in God alone to give you answers is the only way to pray. You may hear a resounding voice that can't be mistaken for anything other than God, or you may not get an answer at all but find the answer in other events. But he answers it, every time, even if it's not the answer we're looking for.
2. God's Provision
"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yes Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:26-34)
God's provision has been so, SO incredibly relevant in my life lately. By being obedient to his word and calling, he made himself VERY known to me and provided more than I could have hoped for on my own. In March, the door was opened for me to go on a mission trip (that was in June). In April, I went on a long vacation to Colorado for a friends wedding (not to mention a pricey one). In May, my car died and I had to find a way to get a new one. In June, I went on the mission trip. It has been four months of expense after expense after expense. I stressed about money most of the time, but kept hearing "I will provide" with each prayer...and had to turn around and ask for forgiveness for not trusting Him more. All the bills were paid. I didn't have to go hungry. Did I have to be more frugal and responsible with other spending? Yes. But in reality, that is just good practice, right?
God's provision through the last few months has left me speechless and in awe. I think I needed to learn this lesson a long time ago, but it has been vital to learn it now (and still learning!)
3. Simplicity
"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." (Matthew 6:19-21)
Clearly Matthew 6 has shown up a lot in my life lately. One of my favorite quotes is "May I live simply so that others may simply live" by Gandhi. Not from the Bible, but the message is there. I have been leaning in this direction for a long time, but had never fully realized it. In all the honesty of the world, money has never been important to me. Possessions have never been important. Investment has never been important. Sure, these are all things that society says are important. But Jesus had a robe on his back and sandals on his feet. Reality is that to live, to truly live, you need Jesus, not wealth or even financial "stability" for that matter. Reality is that there are people in our very cities in America who have a roof over their heads and food on their tables and are happy.
When I was in Mexico last month, our group was in a very poor area located right between TJ and Ensanada. There were people living with 4-10 people in a small one bedroom home, and there were families with 4-5 people living in one room, which served as a bedroom, kitchen and dining room. But those children and their parents were some of the happiest people I have ever seen in my life. Are they grateful for people who choose to come help them? Of course! But are they also content with what they have and grateful simply for the air they breath? Yes! It was like something hit be between the eyes. How many people do I know who live in the US who have multiple homes, two or three cars, all the latest gadgets....but are always complaining, always wanting more, or always stressing about how to pay the bills? Yet the children we were teaching VBS to were saving the plastic colored cups we used for snacks and drinks (which most Americans would use for 10 minutes and then throw away), washing them, and taking them home because that was special to them. A plastic, colored cup! We observed this on the first day. A couple of days later, we went to the house of some of the kids to pray for their sick mom. When we walked in, I started to cry. Not because of the situation we were walking into, but because there were the cups; washed, dried, and on display...because that was special to them, and they were grateful. And yet we get upset because we can't buy a new gadget or expensive car or new house or....the list goes on.
The fact of the matter is: storing up treasures on earth leads to greed and discord, and storing them in heaven leads to joy and gratefulness.
God has convicted me tremendously lately about this. Live simply. I've dealt with debt in my past. I've dealt with money issues. I've dealt with greed. But I can look around now at what God has blessed me with, and I'm grateful. I have a roof over my head. I have food on the table (so do the cats) and I have a car to get me to my job.
Now, please don't believe for a minute that I'm judging people who have "nice" possessions. I'm not. But be careful to be grateful for what you have, and to really evaluate why you have it. Do you have it because you're trying to gain status, or because you have been frugal and God has blessed you with it? Why are you investing? Why are you buying all the newest and latest things? Is it to be cool? Is it edifying to you? Does it glorify God?
On that note though, let me discuss Mexico for a moment. Mexico was amazing. And eye-opening. I've known for a while that I was being called back to mission work/ministry. What that looks like, I still don't know. But being away from life for a week and living in complete service to God....nothing is sweeter. It was such an amazing experience, but it was so clarifying to me that that is also what I've been missing out on. I haven't been involved in any sort of ministry or mission work in years. And I've missed it so much.
So that's where I am right now. I can now see why a lot of doors closed over the last year. I've had my eye on the wrong things for a long time. But I've not only learned a lot about God, but also myself as well. I've seen what full and complete trust in God does. And I can see a lot more clearly what my purpose in Him is.
Isn't God amazing?
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