Day 2636 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Hebrews 13:14 NIV

The topic of contentment and materialism and worldly desires is probably always going to be one that strikes really close to the heart for me personally. As I shared a little yesterday, it's something that I've spent a lot of my life getting wrong. Chased after so many things. Allowed so many man-made idols to consume my thoughts. Poured myself into this idea that I needed to build a life that mattered according to what the world says matters. And yet, looking back, I can say with all honesty that it was all for nothing. Every bit of it.

And I think because it's something that I've lived and because I know the consequences, it’s a topic that I only seem to grow increasingly passionate about. The truth is that there is nothing more valuable in this life than our time, and how we choose to spend it has a direction correlation to the amount of joy and peace we find while we're here. But even more than that, it plays a huge part in the destination onto which we move after this stage of the journey is over. So allowing ourselves to let even the slightest bit too much of this world into our hearts is of the utmost danger.

Because before you know it, this is all there is and nothing else matters to us.

No matter how hard it may be to imagine, this truly is not our home. Nothing we build up or store up or set out to pursue and accomplish for ourselves in this place with these lives will mean a thing when we leave this rental. So why do we pour so much of ourselves into making this part so lavish and comfortable and important? Why do we devote so much of our time and our energy into building little kingdoms that only have an expiration date? Why are we so focused on the here and now?

And maybe the most important question of all: What are missing or ignoring while giving that much time and attention to the temporary?

Having spent so much time planting roots in a world that's going to disappear one day, I can finally see the meaninglessness in it all. I look around now and so much of society is simply excess. It's unnecessary. But sadly, it's all made to seem harmless. It's just another pair of shoes. Just a TV that's a little bit bigger. Just a house with a bit more storage. Just a career that helps me convince myself and everyone else that I matter. Just a little bit of time putting myself first. Just an endless stream of excuses that we pull out in order to keep doing what we want in building our own little worlds where we get to be king without feeling guilty for putting so much emphasis on temporal things.

I've finally come to realize that this idea of putting down roots and building a life here isn't all there is. For many it's enough. For many it's all they want. For many it's the American Dream and they're going to devote their lives to achieving it. And that's a choice that each person gets to make. As for me, I don't want to focus on trying to find a place where I belong down here. I know in my heart it doesn't exist. I don't want to spend time putting myself and my life first when I have the chance to do something bigger. I don’t want to live as if this life is all that matters only to reach the end of it and suddenly realize I screwed up!

I don't want to live thinking that this is my home because I know that doing so long enough will lead to focusing more on what's here and letting go of what's to come. And there's simply nothing here that's worth ignoring what comes next. Because as long as these lives seem, and they do seem long, they still end. They still stop. They still lead to something else, and that something else has no end. And we cannot risk being turned away from peace toward a never-ending misery because we spent this time focused on this world rather than putting Christ first and building our lives in Him instead.

Friends, I'm not coming down on anyone for the choices that people make. That’s definitely not my place. Each of us have lives that we've been given to live as we see fit. And if you're someone who can manage to like things and collect things and desire things without allowing those things to become your idols, then so be it. But we all need to be aware of just how quickly we cross over that line without knowing it and make worldly things and these worldly lives our main focus. We cannot afford to let that happen. Because we cannot be filled with both this world and with Christ. And when our time here is done, all that will matter is just how much Christ we have in our hearts.

I'll close this by saying that there's a tremendous freedom in letting go. Letting go of the things that can quickly become our sole focus and desire. Letting go of the need to belong and fit in down here. Letting go of the chase to obtain this ideal version of life that much of humanity is focused upon. Letting go of the need to need. Letting go of the world and freeing your hands to lay hold of the eternal life to which Christ walked this earth to lead us toward.

The way I see it, He came to set us free from this place and the errors we've made in living like this is all that matters. He lived to help us see the danger in thinking that fulfilling our selfish desires is paramount. He died to open the gates to an eternal home. If it meant that much to Him, then who am I to live as if there's still something here that matters more than what He offers us?

#LeaveNoSoulUntold