I had the joy of spending Thanksgiving morning with some great friends. We gathered @ Westminster Academy's West Campus and embarked on our 1st annual "Gangway Turkey Bowl." It was a blast! However, it did serve to remind me that I am no longer 18 and I just can't, no matter how much my mind/ego wants to, keep up with some of these guys (and gals - shout out Patia and Lezlie).
After the game it was a refreshing drive home, a quick shower and a hike up to Stuart w/Amy to my dad's house for dinner and a superb Cowboys victory! (shout out Tullian)
Unfortunately, the following day Amy had to work so we headed home early. Although, I was quite tempted to stay b/c my sister-in-law was talking about some crazy "Black Friday" shopping and the schedule she was proposing sounded at least intriguing. Then I came to my senses and wisely declined.
That next evening Amy's parents and siblings (minus Jenny) came to visit for the weekend. It was a double blessing b/c we had waited to tell them that we were pregnant, so when we laid it on them they were ecstatic! But, then they surprised us w/ a new TV! Ok, well it's not brand new, but it's new to us and it's huge!
We had a great time with them, just hanging and being together. They left yesterday and it's always a bit sad watching them go.
All of this came rushing back down upon me this morning as I was having my morning devotions. I was reading through Hebrews 11 - the "faith hall-of-fame" chapter - and got to thinking about life, especially my life. The chapter begins with a definition of what faith is and then proceeds to give a list of biblical examples of faith in action, of people who not only professed faith but lived in it. As I read, I had to stop and examine my own life. Is this what my daily experience looks like? Is my faith always genuine or do I often profess a generic wish/faith? If I were to exercise this kind of faith, the kind Abraham and Noah and Moses had, would my life be extremely different? All these questions immediately collided with my afore mentioned Thanksgiving schedule. I thought to myself that in the midst of all that "to do" I don't remember ever having to really exercise any faith - it all just happened. Now, I'm not saying that any of the activities I did are wrong or bad, I'm just wondering if they are distractions.
See, in this world we live in, if we are really honest, we rarely need to exercise real, genuine faith. This world offers us everything and anything. If I want food I go buy it. If I want stuff I go shopping. If I want companionship I go to the Internet. Whatever we want, it's at our fingertips. This world has made faith the enemy and seeks to afford us with every opportunity to be self-sufficient and composed. Thus, faith is becoming less and less a necessity for us. This is a serious problem b/c this world we live in has propped itself up as the ultimate means of gratification and eliminates our desire for something else, something better.
All these thoughts rushed upon me this morning and I just thought I'd share them. I hope that we can all be pricked by these questions and take a hard look @ ourselves and our lives. May God be honored and all of our faith increased!
For His Kingdom...
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1 comment:
Chris,
After reading your thoughts, I highly agree that the world does provide everything we could imagine, but none of it lasts---in some way or another, all earthly things disappear by decaying, rusting, etc! (Look at our landfills that we try to disguise.)
The following Scripture helps me get back into perspective:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33
God's Kingdom lasts forever and fulfills all our needs---here on earth and in heaven!
Thank you for sharing your heartfelt words . . . God bless.
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