As my usually sweet 2 year old poured a half-full glass of juice (half water) directly and intentionally on our new laptop which just happens to be the most expensive thing we own….anger raged- -partly justified, maybe….
but more than that it revealed something deep within me, not her.
Attention grabber as it was, it worked. It got my attention. At that moment spending time with my daughter who had been at preschool all day wasn’t a priority, checking my email was.
Why was I so incredibly mad? Was I placing more worth in a thing that will eventually burn (or short out from orange juice) than my child?
On a spiritual level….how many times do I place more worth and invest more time in the things of this world that will pass away than on people who are dying without a true relationship with Jesus?
There’s been a theme in my life this week…God is teaching me or I guess reminding me…things don’t matter. Earlier this week as we watched our car (really it belongs to our organization) flood with water, I had to check my heart and evaluate why it is that I am satisfied.
Am I satisfied because my kids are healthy, have a comfortable place to live, a car to drive, money in the bank account, and a seemingly successful ministry (which is questionable these days)? What if, like Job in the Bible, all of that was stripped away in an instant, or even slowly one by one?
Would I continue to be satisfied…to have joy?
The verses are easy to read….hard to put into practice. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
I want to be mature and complete, not lacking anything. But…that may mean that I lack everything of worldly value, but gain everything of eternal worth.
As we live alongside people that have it much harder than we ever have…I think sometimes they see our joy as being rooted in our circumstances…we don’t have to worry about getting paid or our pay being a fraction of what it takes to live a decent life. We aren’t dependent on a good crop season to have food on the table. We can take vacations…we can go to the private hospital in the capital city. But….none of that matters. That is not where my joy comes from.
My joy comes from my Jesus who paid for my sins on that cross….from a Savior who conquered death so that thankfully I don’t have to call this world my home. That price is worth more than good health, a million laptops, vacations in the most exotic places, and a whole fleet of the most expensive cars.
Jesus is worth losing it all, but “it all” is absolutely nothing compared to knowing Jesus.
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