Thoughts Under the Umbrella
Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t
love money; be satisfied with what you have for God has said, ‘I will never
fail you. I will never abandon you.’”
Many times when I am at church, it can feel like my pastor
is looking straight into my mind. It can be a one line sentence that smacks me
up beside my head and shows me where I have some work to do. I must admit there
is a lot of work to be done. I am being made anew very slowly, kind of like
molasses-slow. I have decided this year, instead of trying to fix all my
faults, I will pick just one word and work on that for an entire year. So this
is where the slap upside my head came into the picture. I was sitting at
church, minding my own business, when our pastor brought up the words, quartz
counter tops. Those words caught my attention because I have been remarking to
my husband how I would love to have my granite replaced by quartz. And that’s
when I was convicted. He hit the nail on the head in what he soon asked. He
asked when we will ever be content. If we can’t be content with counter tops,
how will we ever be content in the things that really matter. Yep, he was
talking to me. I have been married for 46 years and have seen the tops of
counters go in and out of style. First it was butcher block, then tile. Of
course, soon tile was replaced with granite. I would look at those tile counter
tops that I had always wanted and they eventually became an eyesore. My dream
was now for the ever popular granite which I was able to get by moving into a
new home. So of course granite is now passé, and the new thing is quartz. Now,
I am not saying that wanting to update my home is a bad thing and actually the
counter tops are just a symptom of what the root of the problem is. Chuck
Swindoll wrote, “It is a curious fact that when people are free to do as they
please, they usually imitate each other. As a result we are rapidly becoming a
nation of discontented, incompetent marionettes dancing from strings,
manipulated by the same puppeteer.” My problem is where my heart looks for its
contentment. Am I looking for approval from people or am I finding my
self-worth in the Designer of all things, including counter tops. This learning
to be content is not easy to do. In Philippians 4:11, Paul writes, “Not that I
was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”
So on January first, I cut the puppeteer’s string that has been leading my
life, and I want to learn how to find true contentment in the One who really
matters. I have a feeling this is not an easy lesson to learn. I believe it
will take a lifetime, but I am determined. First lesson I will work on is to be
grateful for having granite counter tops because they will be with me until my
last days, unless of course, the Lord knows someone who has free quartz they
want to donate!
Lord, what a great life you have blessed me with. I have all
I need. Save me from a greedy heart that stores away in bigger barns.
– Michele
