Let Go

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt 6:19-21

"The Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it." Matt 16:24-25

"If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Matthew 19:21

"Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on." Luke 21:3-4

"So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God." 1 Corinthians 3:21-23

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them rubbish in order that i may gain Christ." Philippians 3:7-8

"For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either." 1 Timothy 6:7

"Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your misteries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth eaten...It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!" James 1-2, 4

I hold onto things too tightly. Freshman year in college a good friend challenged me with this statement: "If God took away the things most important to you, would you still be content in Him alone?" I couldn't answer him then and I still can't answer him now. There are so many things where I improperly put my heart: relationships, grades/school, shopping. A significant other, fiance, boyfriend or husband will die and I won't be buried with him. After I get out of school, grades will just be a letter on a piece of paper. Clothing, accessories, gadgets will break, tear and deteriorate with time. Perhaps I will never completely learn the fullness of this lesson, but it is so important. It's not just about being content with the things I have but realizing that all these good gifts come from the Father. Who is the INFINITE source of goodness, righteousness, holiness and love. Contentment and realization should lead to sacrifical giving. Instead of loving that special boy, sacrificially love everyone, especially the unlovable. Instead of buying that next purse or cute shirt, give that money to the church or sponsor a child. Don't blow off a friend because you need to study, that's just lame. This isn't advice for you (reader of blog), but reminders for me because I DON'T do these things and there are times when my heart DOESN'T feel like this. Almost EVERY fiber of my being wants to chase after that special boy, that 4.0, that really cute outfit.

And so the struggle continues. And it starts in the psyche. Where are my thoughts? Do I meditate on the promises of God or do I daydream about that dream wedding, or fat raise and nice car?

It's been a long day, but a good one. To everyone who isn't feeling well: Get better soon! May God bless your immune system that you'll be up and about. :)