I John 2:15-16

“”But woe to those who know not their own misery, and greater woe to those who love this miserable and corrupt life.”
Thomas a’ Kempis

The obvious image whenever I consider this line of thought, at least to me, is that of Gollum. That poor, twisted Hobbit hiding in the dark with “his precious.” He gave up everything and became something that he was not for a gold ring. At least that which he obsessed over had value, but even that was only limited to this earthly realm. What treasures or trash would I go to those lengths for? My computer? My iPod? My books? There is nothing here that will make that final journey with me. There is no thing here that is worth dying for.

That being said, what is worth dying for? Honestly, if it came to it today, what would you die for? Honor? Family? Love? Wealth? I love my family and friends and I would like to think that if push came to shove, I would man-up and do the right thing. But even that cannot be said truthfully from the relative comfort of the kitchen table. So what matters? To me, it is, hands down, God. The fact that He loved me so much, more that I will ever be able to fathom, that He would suffer and shed His own blood for me. No one has, does, or will ever love me so much. That is worth dying for.

I don’t want to love the things of this life. I want to love God. I want the things that matter to me to matter in eternity. That will only happen when I am living through Christ, because of Christ, and for Christ. Only then will the things of this world be put in their proper place. Things don’t matter. Relationships matter. It all starts with God. From there, I can become a funnel, splashing His love on everyone around me. I don’t feel that God has called me to become a holy hermit, hiding and praying. I believe He has called me to be me, but to be the me who can live and show others what really matters - God.

II Chronicles 1:10-12

“Man’s happiness does not consist in the possession of abundant goods; a very little is enough.”
Thomas a’ Kempis

In all the mission trips I led - International Falls, MN, Savannah, GA, Martin, SD, Chestertown, NY, and Booneville, AR - the one lesson that continued to hammer home to everyone who was paying attention was that of possessions. We worked with and for people who quite literally had nothing. Many of them lived nearly at the hand-to-mouth level of life. What continued to amaze was that there were smiles on their faces. It was necessarily not that they had given up on working and making their lives better, but more that they had learned the lesson Paul talks about when he says, “...whatever my circumstances, I have learned to be content...” (Philippians 4). This is such a hard lesson, especially in our society.

Kids in the schools I have substituted in are fascinated when they learn that I do not have a cell phone. I miss it. I really do. I miss being connected to family and friends in that instant and constant way. But my life goes on. It has not been the end of the world. This is just a small and maybe stupid example, but the point stands: things a good life do not make.

My happiness should be in the knowledge that I am seeking God and am growing with Him. It should rest in the fact that I have family and friends who love me and pray for me. It needs to live in the truth of the moment that I have found salvation, forgiveness, love, and purpose in Him who first loved me. God is my Father. The ultimate and perfect Father who truly wants the best for me. Does this mean He will shower me with all the stuff I want? No. Will he see to my needs? Absolutely. I really do believe that He wants to bless His children, but so few ask with the right and proper motives in heart. Why do I want/need (fill in the blank)? Will it be used to bring Him glory? I am not there, but learning to be content in the embrace of the Almighty is an amazing place to be.

Romans 12:2-4

“Pray humbly to the Lord, therefore, that He may give you the spirit of contrition and say with the Prophet: ‘Feed me, Lord, with the bread of mourning and give me to drink of tears in full measure.’”
Thomas a’ Kempis

There has to be some sort of happy medium here. But, maybe that is the problem - the happy medium. Too many people who say they love Jesus think the best way they can go through or deal with life is by living in the happy medium. That place where no matter how you really feel, you make sure that everyone thinks that everything is just fine. That place where no emotions can leak out and ruin that carefully cultivated and maintained image. That place where it seems to make sense to live in a perpetual state of sorrow. Man. I hate that place.

It has no place in the life of a Jesus follower. That place simply should not be. I am made in the image of God. God has emotions. I have emotions. Sometimes I want to yell and laugh and be happy. Sometimes I want to cry and be left alone. What is wrong with that? Just because I love Jesus does not mean that my emotions are magically muted or turned off. To the contrary, they may actually be more intense because they have new meaning. The sorrow over the loss of a loved one is deeper because I don’t know if they knew Jesus like I do. The joy over a friend coming to know Jesus because this means we have something amazing in common and we can hang in eternity.

There are times to weep and be serious. There are times to be stupid, silly, and immature. All of these things have a part in the life of any human being. When I can have emotions and still love Jesus and point others to Him, doesn’t that make my relationship with Him all that more real? No one wants to be a mindless, soulless, emotionless, lifeless follower of God. Those are religious people. I have a relationship with God. That means good, bad, or ugly I am clinging to Him and He is loving me. Being me is what God made me to do. Being me with God in my life simply enhances the recipe of my life. After all, what is life without a little spice?