Preface: This post is somewhat long and contains no pictures but is weighted with meaning and I do hope that when you have a few spare minutes you will read its entirety.
So many things are going on in our world lately-natural disaster after natural disaster; dismal economic situations in many countries; and here in Texas we have been plagued with drought. I've had many tender thoughts about these issues for a while and have been wanting to share these thoughts with you for a while. This post is not about fancy chandeliers, haute couture, or pretty parties. It's about being brought to my knees and being shaken-brought to the reality of what is really important. I write this post because I want all of my readers to know one very important thing about me-really the most important thing about me that goes to the core of my being.
I love to write about pretty things. I love to make pretty things, but I know that my purpose in life is not about pretty things or the pursuit of them.
It's not about where I travel, what I accomplish, who I meet. If tradegy struck tomorrow and my life on earth met its closing, my lovingly decorated home, my dried up garden, my closet full of hand-selected clothes, and my small business on Etsy would be as nothing, for I cannot take any of it with me.
It is so easy to get distracted in life to find one's mind obsessing over such trivial things, and I would never want to impart to you, my friends, that these things or accomplishments are my top priority. I'd love to say that I always have a focused heart, but the truth is I can become very distracted with worldly treasures. {Matthew 6:19-21}
I want to share with you a very powerful song that I love to sing. Although I have sung it for years, it still brings tears to my eyes as the lyrics flood over me, and, today, these words hold more meaning than ever as I survey the parched earth in Texas and as I witness my country, the United States of America struggling with mounted debt, alongside many other foreign countries.
"Gratitude" by Nichole Nordeman
Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain
Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread
Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need
So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .
(Chorus)
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace
But Jesus, would You please . . .
Sometimes it takes drought, disasters, and debt to open our eyes to help us realize that we have had our focus wrong for so long-that we have been selfish. Who and what are we living for? Don't get me wrong, hobbies and material things are a positive thing... in moderation. They renew, accomodate, and bring joy, but they can also destroy when they become our lives, when they become all we think about. We find ourselves wanting more-unquenched, unsatisfied, envious and bitter.
Troubled times remind us that we are not promised nor entitled to live lavishly and every single thing we have is a gift from God, and if all we have in our possession is water and bread we are blessed beyond what we deserve, a difficult concept to swallow for most of us who live in abundance.
I pray that I will remember these words throughout my life as I support my husband and mentor our daughter. For me, life is about who I know and in whom I have believed and that is Jesus Christ.
Lord, would you please forgive me and my country for living so selfishly? Would you please impart wisdom to our country's leaders? Would you please send down some rain and mercy?
We are thirsty and afraid. Amen.