Haitian orphanage kitchen
Thoughts and convictions have pinged around my mind since our return from Haiti and back to regular US life.
How can I continue to live like this? With stuff, so much stuff, while others suffer in the world?
Is that what Jesus wants from me? If not, what does He want?
The stuff. It distracts. Keeps us from focusing on Jesus. Keeps us from relying on Him for our every need.
The desire for more fuels our actions and motives. More money, more food, more pretty clothes, more furniture, new cars, and yes, more ministries.
What would happen if we stopped the more? Stopped the excess? If we changed our focus from things and turned our heads toward Christ and said, “Lord, I trust you to provide what I need.”
It can be done. It’s being done in other countries, in other cultures. Where they don’t have a refrigerator or an oven or lights because they don’t have power. The only clothes they own are those on their backs, and yet, they are clothed. Sneakers that are the wrong size cover the feet and provide protection just the same by smashing down the back of the shoe and shoving a foot in.
The more we purchase, the more we desire. When our hearts are longing for more things to fill our homes, our closets, our cupboards, the less we are focusing on Christ.
Distraction.
It is one of satan’s favorite tools in the USA.
We have the power to fight back. To say, “no more!” To reduce. Refocus. And give.
Do we really need 24 towels in the cupboards? Or 52 outfits in the closets? Are 13 pairs of shoes necessary? Or how about 15 cans of tomato soup stocked in the pantry?
The simple answer is, no.
No, we don’t need to have all of those things. We don’t.
Because when we decide that we really only need 3 pairs of shoes, we stop looking for another pair of shoes. If we have all we need for the week in the cupboards to provide our family’s meals, we stop looking to purchase additional food items, on sale or not.
We refocus our attention and desires on the One who will provide everything we need and sometimes, even the little extras as a blessing.
What extras can you do without? Do you need to have cable television? What could you do with that extra money? Could it feed an orphan or provide power for an orphanage? Support a missionary?
“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’ Deuteronomy 15:11
How do you plan to refocus your wants and desires? Do you find the need and want for things to be a distraction in your life? How much is too much? Does God want us to have more in our homes than we need? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Blessings,
Find out how YOU can be part of changing lives and investing in eternity.
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How true… Every time my focus is buying better camera, shoes, cutlery, and other material things… I see that Bible reading, prayer time, and spiritual pondering gets behind my head…. Distractions, indeed they are… Today christians need to get their focus right… thanks.. like I mentioned before, your articles really speak
Earlier this year, my husband quit his job (unexpectedly), and decided to leave for a while. My 3 daughters (ages 7, 6, & 3) and I got down to a bare-bones pantry and an empty fridge, and for 3 1/2 months we just did not have the money to go grocery shopping. But during that time, we had been studying the life of George Muller, and we were praying for every single meal. And every single meal, He provided. We did not go hungry at all, all summer. Except for the church leadership and a few close friends & family, we did not tell many people what was going on, but people would come by with dinner, or a small bag of groceries, or a gift card to the grocery store. Once, a lady we did not even know said that she just felt like we needed food, so she obeyed the prompting of the Lord! My daughters & I got a crash course in just how God can and does move to provide for His children when they take Him at His word, and the way we approach our belongings & income have changed. We are more fluid with passing on what we have and able to redirect others when they offer us more stuff (if we don’t specifically need it).
We learned that we do not need a storehouse. We just need Him.
Excellent post! Thank you 🙂
~Lisha
Lisha recently posted..Usborne Raffle – Extended until Wednesday!!
That is an awesome testimony! Thank you so much for sharing it.
Such a beautiful post and reminder of how easily our focus can shift onto “things” and off of the Holy One. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said above. I am so thankful for God’s provision and the ability to trust Him and take Him at His word to not only provide for our needs, but the needs of others.
Thank you so much for taking the time to link your post up at Living in the Word! Bless you!
Carlie K.
Carlie Kercheval @ Managing Your Blessings recently posted..Living in the Word, link-up
I am so thankful for your beautiful and honest post. You are absolutely right. We don’t need everything we have. We are distracted by the stuff that’s out there in the world…begging for us to partake, buy more, lose focus. We need this reminder of how the enemy loves to distract us from what is most important in this life…to Love God, Love others and GIVE.
Thank you so much for linking up with us over at ManagingYourBlessings.com Hope you’ll join us again, friend.
Megan Spires
Managing Your Blessings