By His Grace

Packing Prayer

Well, they are packing all around me as I write this. Boxes are everywhere – the stuff of our lives. Most days I don’t feel like I have too much stuff, in fact the Salvation Army run was not very large. Yet when I think that this guy has been packing my kitchen since 9:00 this morning (it’s now 1:45), I think “Wow, where did I get all this?!”

 

I remember moving to California just out of college. I shipped maybe 6 boxes – mostly books. Sold my dresser and put the rest in the trunk of my car. My Mom and sister flew to Connecticut and drove across the country with me, stopping to see some family and a handful of National Parks. The fact that they could fit with their suitcases shows how little I had put in the trunk.

 

And now here I am with six boxes just in the bedroom, not counting the closet! Granted, I think I use most of the stuff we own, but moving does highlight just how much we as Americans have. So here’s my packing prayer, “God, I know you said it’s hard for a rich person to get to heaven, and as I look at these boxes I’m aware of just how rich I am. Please help me to remember this stuff is only on loan, that before you I stand naked without any of these objects to hide behind. Thank you for blessing me with a wonderful life full of beautiful things. Teach me to release anything that is harming my walk with you and help me use this stuff for your glory. Amen.”

Vanity

I just wanted to share a passage that God put on my heart.

Psalm 127:1-2

Unless the Lord builds the house,
   those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
   the guard keeps watch in vain.
²It is in vain that you rise up early
   and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
   for he gives sleep to his beloved.^*

We must remember that God is the one who does the work of building our lives, our homes, and our church. And God is the one who protects us. If we try to do it on our own, we will be working in vain. The interesting thing about vanity is that it encompasses not only ineffectiveness, but also pride. When we try to create our own thing we demonstrate our pride in the midst of our worthless activity. Finally, if we are getting up early and going to bed late, feeling the anxiety of life, we are rejecting God’s love for us. He is not the one who causes anxiety; only our vanity can do that.

My prayer for myself and my church family is that God would replace our vain efforts with his peace and rest, so that our work is both successful and for his glory.