MATTHEW 6:33
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew chapters 5,6 & 7 are best read together for context and teaching but just for the moment, I’m focusing on the above verse. Because I believe if we get that right, the rest of life will fall in place.
The truth of the matter is … we try to focus on too many things.
Let me use myself as an example. Right now I should be organizing our retirement home. We have a small house in the north woods that, Lord willing, we thought would soon become our permanent retirement home. So we began trying to reduce our possessions and decide what has to come up here.
Of course now we have run into the issue of – can we really leave our family and friends? So laugh if you want, but now we are bringing a few things back in case we can’t make the transition. Do we sound like we are in a state of total confusion? Yeah and bonus… now both houses are a bit strange looking.
A few other notes - It has recently come to my attention that I am overweight … okay I know I’ve been overweight for years but it’s only RECENTLY come to MY attention. So I’m trying to decide how to handle that without throwing myself into depression. I love to eat. I also love to walk. In recent months my back is not cooperating with my idea of myself as a walker. I see myself as self-sufficient. My son said I need to realize I’m getting old and ask for help. Seriously, can I just have one illusion left alone?
So let’s talk about family. I love my family fiercely. I can plummet from joy to misery with a moment’s phone call from one of my clan. My husband tells me I am an emotional roller coaster and much to my chagrin he is totally right. But family … we all have them. Some people’s families look so perfect to me and they spend quality time together. My husband asked me where I saw one of these families. I pondered for only a moment before I answered: “Blue Bloods”.
He smiled at me in a piteous way and reminded me that Blue Bloods have scripts and actors and sets. Hey I’m a writer (sort of) I could write my family a script. They could follow the script and I could get someone to clean my house. The problem being my three children are the most headstrong varied personalities you have ever seen. They won’t do a thing I script. Yes I know they are all middle-aged adults but just for one Sunday dinner everyone in the same house?
Then there is my procrastination and forever beating myself up because I don’t keep to a schedule, my house isn’t always clean (okay probably never all the way clean), I want to cook and bake and write and learn to play a keyboard and …
Truthfully lots of times I like to just sit and read or play solitaire or talk to my friends.
God wrote to me and said:
Seek Me and My ways… the rest of it will work out.
He said I’ll have what I need and what I want.
What I want will look different when I’m with Him.
Now I’m trying regardless of what happens to spend time in the presence of the Lord everyday. It’s very peaceful there. There is an acceptance that comes from God that really can’t be described. I stopped beating myself up. My children and grandchildren seem awesome to me … perfect … because they were created by God.
So here I sit writing to anyone who cares to read this and is perhaps ready to sit in the presence of the Lord and be cared for as only He can do.
Best of blessings to all.
Love,
Bev