The American Dream

Today I drove through a perfect, manicured, wealthy suburb of Texas. It was exactly what I imagine the American dream looking like. And though I didn't actively think to myself, "I am coveting that man's house," the reality is as I imagined myself living in those streets and driving their sweet cars, something of discontent rose up in me a little. Discontent rooted in envy for what someone else has and I don't.

And when I realised that, the obvious commandment came to mind:

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbors.” - Exodus 20:17

Regardless of whether we even act on our selfish desire, this coveting is the craving for something that is not ours to have. It stems from good ole pride that says I deserve to have all the things. It's almost as though we are calling life unfair and God unjust for not providing us this thing we so yearn for.

Interestingly, in Ephesians 5:5 in the ESV, coveting is equated to idolatry. But when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. When we deeply yearn for something or someone that is not ours, it monopolizes our focus and we begin to idolize that thing which elevates it into a position of importance above God. If we let the root sink in too deep, eventually we lose all focus and begin to worship the creation rather than the Creator.

"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised." - Romans 1:25

In our culture these days, coveting is such a 'natural' part that most people hardly even notice its existence. Everything is about the biggest houses, coolest cars, best Insta feeds, finding the perfect bachelor and keeping up with the Kardashians.

But we were called to live differently. We are called to be content no matter the circumstance and to actively choose to not covet.

HOW??

I'm still learning, but these are some things that have helped me on this journey on laying down my coveting and idols.

Number one is to seek first Jesus and his kingdom. To above all, love him with all my heart, mind and strength. As I seek him more and more, I find myself more and more satisfied in his love and presence and I become more and more convinced that he truly is enough for me. As this happens, the things that used to draw my eyes and my heart have a little less of a shine and allure.

The more I seek him, the more I get to know him and so the more I trust that he is good and that he has given me everything I need and more. More than I could ask or imagine. So then when I look at something that I don't have, it's okay, because I believe that God, in all his infinite wisdom and unfailing love for me, deemed it unnecessary in my life at this time.

The second thing is to try and look at all things in life through the spectacles of eternity. And this is definitely not the easiest thing, because what I see is so tangible and real and physically within my grasp. But when I remember that the shiny things I so desire will eventually fade and fail, rot and rust, it is a little easier to put things in perspective.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corin 4:18

The things that scream for my attention in this world probably won't carry any weight in eternity. So why do I give them so much of my time and emotion and thoughts? Obviously I need many things in order to exist in my day to day life, and I do think it's okay to want things. But when that want breeds discontent in my heart, I need to take a step back and apply the filter of eternity.

And the final thing is asking God, in his transforming power, to realign my desires after his heart. Romans 12 talks about God renewing my mind in a way that transforms me, makes me more like him and stops me from conforming to the world—the world that loves to covet.

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." And I believe this means he will provide me with the deep desires he's placed in my heart, but I also believe that as I seek after him and delight in him, my desires become more synchronised and moulded like his.

I'm broken and sinful and I will always find myself wanting more and desiring what is not mine, but I pray that as I continue to seek Jesus, keep eternity in mind and ask God to keep transforming me, I will learn to be content whatever the circumstances (Phil 4:11).

I pray this for you too. Let's kill the weeds of coveting that are strangling us and make room for the beautiful life that comes through being content in Jesus to grow.

ME! (AKA Self-love)

Self-love. Self-care.

Lately, it's popped up in so many podcasts I've listened to, YouTube videos I've watched, Instagram posts I've scrolled past, even a whole new big drive at my work. It's everywhere.

The basic premise is to encourage us to take care of ourselves in all aspects: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It charges you to take time to exercise, eat healthy, relax, take a deep breath, drink more water, cry it all out or whatever it may be that you feel your body or mind or heart needs in the moment.

I totally agree with taking care of ourselves. I think it’s very good for people to take care of their own body and emotional well-being and to actively work to be at least moderately healthy in all aspects. Jesus calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matt 22:39) which inherently implies we should be loving ourselves. I actually think you can love and care for others better if you are taking the time to first properly care for yourself. So to most extents, I agree with the concept behind the movement.

But what does not sit well with me is the catch-phrase used to describe this movement: self-love.

It just sounds so extremely self-centered, putting all the focus on ME!—my wants, my needs, my feelings, taking care of me. It's all about me. And I can't buy into this, because I believe that as a Christian, my top focus is not me. It's God first, and others second.

Matthew 22:37-39 "Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Yes, in order to love God and love people with all my heart, mind and strength, I need to take care of my heart, mind and body. So I guess we could say that taking care of our bodies is Biblical. This body is not meant to last forever, so it is in no way the end goal, but it is a very useful tool in living and serving God. But the heart behind it is not quite like the 'self-care' movement. I believe we are commanded to care for ourselves because it enables us to glorify God and carry out the things he has for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Here are some more scriptures that tell us to both care for and use our bodies for God’s glory:

Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Although God will with open arms accept any form of sacrifice we bring him, surely it would be better if we were able to bring more than a shell of an empty person to him? By spending time (but not obsessing! NB!!) on the things that keep us healthy, inside and out, we'll be able to love and give and serve and lay down rich lives before our King.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Even the smallest acts of eating and drinking can be used to glorify God. Something as simple as excessive gorging on junk food—probably not so glorifying to God as it shows us searching for comfort in something other than him. Or choosing not to drink alcohol excessively—this glorifies God as it is submitting to God's call to live sober and self-controlled lives. These are little choices of a healthy lifestyle that glorify our God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

This verse reminds us that the decisions we make impact our bodies—physically, emotionally, mentally. The context is aimed toward sexual sin, which definitely impacts all the aspects of our lives. But I think in all ways, our bodies, a temple of the Holy Spirit, are directly impacted by our lifestyles. So I believe that making healthy choices—the food I eat, the shows I watch, the people I allow to influence me, the thoughts I wallow in, etc etc— sets me up stronger to be able to glorify God with my body and life.

So if you follow Jesus but also want to buy into this self-love movement, can I challenge you to take a moment to consider the why? Is it for your glory or for God's? Let's look after and steward well the things God has entrusted to us, including our own bodies and minds. But at the same time, let's make sure our motives are rightly rooted in Biblical truth and gospel, sacrificial, 'for something bigger than me' living.

We are commanded to care for the body God gave us for his glory because our body is not our own and has been bought by his precious blood. Yes, in doing so I'm loving and caring for my own body, too, but ultimately it puts the focus rightly back on Jesus where it's always supposed to be and no longer on ME!.

Unsolicited Kindness

I didn't have the greatest day yesterday. Nothing major, but just a lot of little things that kept going wrong. Being on the other side of the world at the moment, I asked my friends back home to pray for me, which they graciously did.

That evening I got a lift back to my apartment with my colleague and his wife. As we arrived back, out of the blue, she invited me to join them for dinner that night. Now she didn't know that I had had a bad day, but for some reason (which I wholly believe to be God— despite the fact that she doesn't even believe in my God), some extra kindness and boldness bubbled up in her in the very moment I needed it and we had a great chilled evening eating curry and watching The Office and my bad day was made so much better.

So this all made me stop and think how many times I've ignored a prompting to be extra kind and/or bold in a moment, and how those were potentially moments created by the prayers of friends and family that I dropped the ball in. Maybe my kindness could answer prayers of people around me without me even knowing what those prayers are.

This isn't a fancy post or any wild revelation, but I just wanted to share these thoughts with you:

Number 1: who are you praying for today?

And number 2: are you being actively kind, even in the smallest of actions, in a way that God can use your kindness to answer prayers of the people you'll encounter?

Our God is extremely kind. Let's be wildly kind too.

The Good News In The Bad News

The news this week has been terrifyingly awful. The headlines pop up on my phone and lately it's felt like a constant barrage of bad news. Rape, murder, kidnapping, children found hanged, shootings, terror, corruption, racism, deceitfulness, hurricanes, droughts and all round hopelessness.

These are some truths that keep me in the midst of the storm:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

• God is not surprised by the trouble of this world— not to say that he doesn't care, he does, deeply. But all this bad news is the product of living in a broken, sinful world. I don't say that to cheapen the pain and destruction and desperation that people are facing today. It so breaks my heart to witness— how much more the heart of God who knows and sees all, even in the darkest places.
• However, the brokenness and darkness is not too big for Jesus. He overcame it all.
• That doesn't take away the pain and consequences, but it does enable us to take heart and stand in the storm, with the hope of Jesus' victory anchoring our souls and keeping us firm and secure in him (Hebrews 6:19).

"When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm." - Psalm 75:3

• The world is currently being shaken to its core. I don't think there is a single person out there who can even pretend that all is peachy with our world right now.
• But in the midst of the quaking and shaking and breaking, our God holds firm. He is not shaken. He is still on the throne. He is still the foundation and cornerstone on which we stand. 
• And when we keep our eyes always on the Lord and believe that he is always with us, we too will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8).

"The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:5-7

• The Lord, the God of peace, is near. He is not far off, he is not disinterested, he is not unaffected by our pain and anger and broken hearts. He hears our cries and knows our suffering (Exodus 3:7).
• So let us cry out more and more to our God. Before we post the angry status or go off in a rage in response to the next inevitable heart-breaking headline, let us bring it to God. In every situation, without ceasing, with thankfulness, let us pray. 
• Not to say that we passively sit back and watch the world burn. No, let us pray AND let us rise up and show mercy, and love, and give, and instigate change in the spaces around us. 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

• In the midst of the brokenness, we have to choose to believe that this true. That our God will bring beauty from pain. That he will take the mess and create a masterpiece. That he still has plans for each one of us that are full of hope, that he is still writing our stories, that he is still good.

Let us lift our eyes to our God, where our help comes from. Let us cling to his truth and cry out to him. 

May the God of peace be with us all.