I just reread the Seven chapter on possessions. I'm enjoying the fact that we are setting aside a week for each chapter - it allows me to digest it fully and let every truth slowly and purposefully soak in.
I shall be honest and say I haven't actually given anything away yet this week. It isn't because I'm being selfish or a hoarder. I'm still waiting to hear what God needs from me and where He wants it. What I HAVE been doing is seeking God and watching Him break my heart. Jen Hatmaker describes our current situation beautifully in days 25 and 30 in this chapter. She points out that the standard American church as it is today looks nothing like Jesus' ministry. We dress up once a week (sometimes twice) to go sing some hymns/songs, pray for issues that are important to us and our circle of friends, greet our fellow well-dressed believers, then go home. Yes, sometimes we take up food for the hungry, sometimes we gather supplies for those in need, sometimes we take part in a special service project in the community; but those cases are few and far between. We (I) look much more like the Pharisees than Jesus. Jesus walked around feeding people's stomachs and souls, healing them, loving them right where they were. He didn't sit in the temple and just take up a collection. He reached out to the very people we often shy away from. And when I say "we," I really mean "I."
I am guilty.
I am guilty of sitting at home in my own self-created temple doing nothing. I am failing my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Don't worry, I will give my stuff away eventually; but I think first God wants to open my eyes and see the world as He does. I think He wants to break my heart for the people hurting right outside my door. I must be able to see the need before I can try to fill it.
I have to give myself away first.
"The fertile soil of death is where the gospel forms roots and actually bears fruit." -Jen Hatmaker
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