American Idolater

As I tackle a long overdue decluttering project this week, I'm faced with what seems to be overwhelming decisions about what to keep and find a new place for vs. what needs to go.  As this happens, I'm discovering that what should be a fairly simple process is far more emotional than I'd dreamed.  Rather than being just items, I'm realizing that many of them represent expectations that I've had for myself or are tokens of a stage of life that has past.  Despite the fact that most of those expectations have been unrealistic and that some of the stages of life captured in those items are ones I'd prefer not to go back and visit, there's a part of me that is fearful of letting them go.  I let them define me for so long that it's a bit scary to think of releasing my tight grasp.

We choose to place emotional value into inanimate objects. ~ Adam Baker

As I read this sentence today, I couldn't help but think of the verses in Isaiah that describe how useful materials were also shaped into idols:

He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!”   Isaiah 44: 14-17

While all of these items with sentimental attachment don't sit on an altar in my home and I don't literally bow down to them and ask them to save me, I find myself uncomfortably aware of how tightly my fingers dig into my palms at the thought of getting rid of some of them.  What would I do?  Who would I be without them?  Wouldn't I be filled with regrets?  What if I need them someday? What if I someday do become the type of person who would use that type of item on a regular basis?  If I give it all away, then I won't have it.

I am gradually realizing that by placing so much emotional importance to these inanimate items, I have made them into idols.

Some of these idols have been moved with me for the past 20+ years.  Every so often I've had a "pilgrimage" of sorts to the mental place of their making, reliving either the memories associated with them or the expectations attached to them.  And in clinging so tightly to them and the past, there's a danger in not living fully in the present or preparing myself for the (all so different from what the items collectively represent) future.  Even more serious, how much have these idols gotten in the way of what God has in store for my life?  Has each of those self-imposed expectations for who I should be and how I should live blinded me to God's expectations for me?  If I'm really honest, God probably has much different plans for me than the rigid standard of expectations that I've set up for myself and then cut myself down when I've failed miserably at meeting them. 

What if?  What if instead of hanging on to all these items that remind me of my own accomplishments, my own dreams, or my own failures, I instead hung on to the ones that remind me of God's work in my life?  What if I were to stop placing my hopes and dreams onto inanimate objects, and instead cast them onto God and trust that if they match His, He will provide all that is needed to fulfill them?  What if in the process of letting go of the things that I have let define me, I actually find myself?

It's time to find out what is on the other side of the what-ifs.  Anyone need a lot of used idols?

The Power of a Simple Card ( & a giveaway!)

Never underestimate the power of a simple card.  Just over eight years ago, my life changed forever, all because of a greeting card.  Well, that's not quite right.  It was actually God, but He used a card in the hand of a young girl in my classroom to send me a message of just how much He loved me and knew what was going on in my life.  A single card ~ but oh the meaning!  Grieving the loss of our third baby in silence when no one had even known that we were expecting, I was stunned to receive a Christian sympathy card in place of the standard Christmas greetings from my student.  Only God!  In the years since it happened, I've often been thankful that the message came in writing. For several years following a move, the card was misplaced, and I almost began to wonder if I'd dreamt the whole experience.  Not long ago, the card resurfaced and I was able to once again refill my spiritual tank with the message of God's love and comfort, and marvel at the way that He had reached down to me.

So when (in)courage reminded us to send a card of thanks and encouragement and pray for someone in our lives and link up a blog entry telling who we'd chosen, it seemed the right time to participate.  Even better?  In exchange for a blog review, they would send out a pack of DaySpring cards.  I was going to take up the challenge to send a card anyway, but this would make it possible to encourage several people.   
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

The box came quickly and tucked in with the cards was a great surprise ~  I Will Bless You - Accordion Card Organizer.  I've had my eye on one of these for a while on their web site, so it was a real treat to find one in the box!    It's much sturdier than I anticipated, easy to carry, and for each month has a pull-out card to list birthdays and other important dates.  So much better than my current method of having cards strewn in random places all over my office that I can never find! The cards were so pretty though, that I was happy to have a safe place to store them until sending.

I received the  Holley Gerth - Hope & Encouragement - 10 Premium Greeting Card Assortment, along with a set of fun thank you cards from the same collection.  It was so much fun to begin planning who to encourage.  Who would not be expecting a card?  To whom did I want to extend a special word of thanks?  Who needed some cheering up this next week?  Faithful servants in the kingdom who work long hours with few thanks?  Single parents doing their best to fill the roles of both mom and dad?  Too many choices!

The first recipient of one of the cards was an easy choice.  Now that she is grown and in college, one of these cards is headed to the student who changed my life by following God's prompting to choose a sympathy card instead of a standard red and green holiday greeting over eight years ago.  She has grown into a beautiful young woman who I am blessed to call friend.  I pray that it will be an encouragement to her as she makes her way in the world.   I can't wait to see what He has in store for her life ahead!

As I looked through the other cards, some stood out immediately for a certain friend.  Others are waiting for just the right time later on.  In several states, today (or tomorrow, actually, since today is a holiday for the US Mail)  a little bit of God's love will be delivered in the form of a greeting card to several other wonderful women as well.  (Maybe even some of you reading this ~ if so, know that I had such a good time picking out a card just for you!)

And let me encourage you to let someone know today that you're thinking of them, that God loves them, and that they are not alone. Send a card, email or text.  Pick up the phone or visit in person. I pray for all who read this that you will experience God's love and care in a real, tangible way that leaves you with no doubt that He is real, that He knows you and what you're going through right now, and that He loves you immensely.

Giveaway: 
The folks at DaySpring have generously offered me a gift certificate worth $20 to bless one of you with (good through the end of the year!).  To enter, fill in the entry form below.  And consider sharing a comment of how you've seen God at work in your life.  I'd love to know more about what He is doing and learn more about you in the process.  If you're one of the silent readers joining me on this journey, this would be a great time to wave a hello!


I'll draw a winner randomly on Friday, January 20 at 8:00 pm, CST.

(My lovely 6 year old assistant helped me select our winner, who has been notified by email.  And I heard back from a couple of the card recipients, whose days were brightened.  :)  )

DaySpring provided me with this product free in exchange for a review. The opinions are 100% my own. Affiliate links used.

Seven

Last week I read a blog entry that set my mind racing.  As the author (Jen Hatmaker) described it, a

A seven-month experimental mutiny against excess, tackling seven areas of overconsumption in the spirit of a fast; a fast from greed, irresponsibility, apathy, and insatiability. Each area boiled down to just seven choices for a month:


Food.
Clothes.
Possessions.
Media.
Waste.
Spending.
Stress.


Only seven foods for a month. Only seven pieces of clothes for a month. Give away seven things we own a day for a month. Eliminate seven forms of media for a month. Adopt seven substantial habits for a greener life. Spend money in only seven places. Practice "seven sacred pauses" a day and observe the Sabbath...a deeply reduced life to find a greatly increased God.

Thanks to a Christmas gift card (in this month of striving to stick within our budgeted amounts), 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess was soon sitting on my Kindle.  I could relate to her retelling of how the plan took shape in the shower one morning, her bent toward total immersion as the best way to learn, and the feeling that we are surrounded by TOO.MUCH.  (Even in our personal situation that by many would be considered NOT. ENOUGH.)  Each chapter detailed her family's efforts in one of the seven areas to "create space for God's kingdom to break through", and included both the highlights and honest challenges of breaking away from our society's norms in that area even for a short time.  

Throughout the journey, she discovered that part of this fasting from the things that surround us daily and that we often view as necessary (though that was often proven to be a false view) was that the discipline of choosing over and over again to curb an appetite began to change her in ways beyond that specific fast.  In describing the relationship between possessions and our spiritual life, she points out the many times that Jesus talked about how hard it is for the wealthy to receive His kingdom.  "If this is true, then more than fearing poverty or simplicity, we should fear prosperity."

Making intentional choices that allow room for God to work in our lives.  Hatmaker emphasized that our journeys would not be exactly the same as hers, since "Your story is God's to write, not mine. . . There isn't a list here.  There is no stencil we can all trace into our lives in perfect unison." I was challenged by the observation that the church in modern day America is far more comfortable with feasting than fasting, not only in the areas of food.  Within our churches, do we even treat Bible studies, sermons, classes, conferences, and training as a feast?  "We are addicted to the buffet, skillfully discarding the costly discipleship required after consuming.  The feast is supposed to sustain the fast, but we go back for seconds and thirds and fourths,stuffed to the brim and fat with inactivity."  How am I living out what I have learned in the years of attending Bible studies and sermons?  Do I put that spiritual energy into action, or just go back for more?

Having finished the book, I find myself examining my own life and asking what areas have I withheld from turning over to God's purposes.  What would God pick in my life that needed to be released?  I already see some areas.  Possessions are a hard one for me to release ~ whether I'm keeping it because of a memory attached, or because it represents an idea of a life I at one point thought I should have, or because someday, I might need it, the hold is strong.   The final chapter on stress is also challenging me to examine my thoughts on needing to be busy all the time.  I'm encouraged to make some intentional decisions about whether the way that I spend my time, treasures, and talents honors God or hinders His work in my life.

**Note about the affiliate links:  We're stepping out in faith that since the big directions God has given us (a daughter named Abigail and building a church) are from Him, He will be making them happen.  Even though we can't see yet the how and when that will happen, we're going to begin taking small steps here and have set up a savings account to support building a church.  Any proceeds that happen to come through the affiliate links will go toward that.  :)

A new year

One thing you can be certain about in the coming year is that you can’t be certain about what is ahead. This is a great blessing, because you do not need to know. To know what is ahead and the details of what will happen would be too great a burden to carry and too great a responsibility to bear.    - - Roy Lessin

As I reflect on 2011, the word joy appears over and over.  But as I ponder what lies ahead in 2012, the theme of God as a refuge, a rock, a fortress keeps coming up, and to be honest, it scares me.  I found myself jotting a note in my journal asking Him to help me beat back the dark cloud (of discouragement and heart heaviness), but as I did, He opened my eyes.  He is a REFUGE.  One in whom to seek shelter from the storm as it rages overhead until it passes.

The dark WILL come   . . . but the morning brings light.

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.  For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30: 4-5

In the midst of the worries over things to come, I find a verse repeated, pointing me back to the one who is stronger than any trial:

For thou art my rock and my fortress, therefore for thy name's sake lead me,  and guide me. Psalm 31:3


I find great comfort in the reminder that knowing what is ahead would be "too great a burden to carry and too great a responsibility to bear", even if that knowledge were of the good that is ahead.  But I am humbled to think of our Savior who approached the end of His earthly days with precisely that knowledge, that burden, and that responsibility . . .

And I cling to the promise that the storm doesn't last forever:

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.  O LORD  my God, I will give you thanks forever.  Psalm 30:12

Here's to my rock, my refuge, my stronghold, my fortress . . . my God in all.