Another Monday, ready or not here we go! It has been a good Monday, I have gotten a good bit of my to do list done. I started a membership at the Y today, felt good to commit to something for my health. I know what I need to do with this body God has given me to take care of so I am doing it. I was thinking over the weekend about what matters most. Reflecting on what I have endured so far in this life I am immediately thankful to still be here. We have seen so many people we know go through extraordinary circumstances, it is enough to make your head spin. I am amazed what the human mind and body can take. I have watched friends and family go through life with such heavy burdens, and I have watched with such great joy when they have made it through triumphantly. I don't know how anyone could without Jesus. How do we survive great tragedy, extraordinary circumstances without having a God we can turn to for comfort, healing, peace that passes all understanding? We couldn't. I have gotten to the point in my life that I cannot watch much media coverage, whether it be the local news program, national news updates on current events or any number of talk shows. I keep up on worthy causes, what I can do to contribute to our society's improvement and enough about the political world to know how I am being represented, but in general the state of our world's downfall is sickening to me. I remember when 9/11 occurred, how devastated our country and the world was by such a terrorist act. We were at a family reunion in Missouri and I can recall sitting in my mother's kitchen with her and my grandmother. All I could do was cry, as the coverage continued and the media replayed the image of the planes crashing into the towers. I turned to my mom and grandma and said, "Is this what it felt like when World War 2 took place?" I remember feeling so fearful, so terrified and so vulnerable. The stories they have shared with me about those times, what my great grandparents and grandparents went through, how our country endured and prevailed. At some point in that time, I found myself becoming more in tune with what truly matters most. How thankful I am for what I have, who I have surrounding me....God has blessed me in placing so many wonderful people in my life. Ryan and I have been finding great joy in the little things. The things that society says we must be frantic about: the big house, the new cars, the latest gadgets, the latest styles, the big vacations....none of that matters in heaven so why should it matter here? In this new season of our lives, we are finding great joy in knowing we have exactly what we need and nothing more is necessary. How often are we focused more on what we want rather than what we need? Is it genuinely something we need or is it something we just want? Scripture tells us not to worry about the things of this earth, storing up "stuff" should not be our priority.
Matthew 6:21 states: "Wherever you treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be."
What kind of stuff are you storing up? What could you be doing with that time and energy you've put into storing up stuff to instead further the Kingdom? How will you allow God to use you this year for something greater, something better, something eternally lasting? That's a challenge for us all to ponder.

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