Yesterday, as I was filling up the Avalanche's 31 gallon tank, a guy pulled up next to me, said, "There goes another two weeks pay," and took off. He was obviously bitter. I only shrugged and smiled, not having time to respond. And I wondered, if he had some good news, would he have stopped to share it with me? I think probably not.
You see, I can't seem to let all this bad news get me down. I've never felt happier, standing there pumping $3.79/gal gas into my gas guzzler. Can something so trivial possibly overcome the joy of knowing my Lord and that I have eternal life waiting for me at the end of this very short road?
It strikes me as odd, that Christians in America, who have more than they could possibly use, let such little things trample their joy when Christians in Africa, who have nothing, are constantly smiling and singing His praises. How can I possibly complain? How can any of us? Jesus was right about the rich. But it's not greed that keeps us from the Kingdom, it's the distraction of all that we have. We cling to our possessions and money like a passenger on the Titanic clinging to the last life boat.
I wonder if I can let it go. Can I be like Peter and trust in Jesus to give me the power to walk on the water? I hope so.
As I sit in my nice house writing this, with heat (yes, in May) pumping through the ducts and filtered water pouring from the faucets, I don't feel rich. I feel like my life boat has become an anchor. It all keeps me from doing His will.
No, I'm not unhappy. But my happiness doesn't come from my job, my house, or my money. Jesus is the source of happiness. He must be the only source. I'll keep my eyes on Him. Because if I don't, like Peter, I'll begin to sink in the mire of this world.
Praise God! When Jesus returns, I'll be looking up. If anyone wants my stuff, you're welcome to it!
1 comment:
What a great post - and so very true! I've been living in Korea since the end of last August and have seen some of the meager dwellings some of the people call homes. I've seen the poorer farming communities where there isn't a whole lot, and I honestly would wonder how those people could be satisified with such small houses and/or little to their names. Then I thought, 'That's all they know. They've probably never had homes the size of the ones in North America (or Europe) and all the possessions we have, so they would be content with what they had.' At least that is what I thought they might think. Maybe they also want everything we have - big homes, etc. Now, mind you, there are tons of people over here who aren't living in tiny homes and have tons of possessions...so maybe my thinking is off.
To get to my point, I guess we need to learn to be content with what we have, and to be thankful the Lord has allowed us to have these things. It's not about the possessions, it's about Him.
Great post!
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