May 5, 2007
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Lying in bed last night, unable to sleep, I was thinking about some photos of extreme starvation and poverty that I had just seen.
And I was wondering. All of us have the innate desire to reclaim the perfection that once was mankind's in the Garden of Eden. We were meant to be beautiful, healthy, intelligent and strong, living in gorgeous surroundings, occupied by engrossing and challenging work. This was all ruined by our sin, and what we all deserve is to be starving, repulsive and ignorant, living in squalor and filth, engrossed with the struggle to survive, until we die and face God's wrath.
The fact that any of us enjoy lives as materially blessed as we do is an incredible grace from God. But the problem with riches is that they insulates us from feeling the effects of the Curse. We can buy our way to being more beautiful, healthier and more edcuated. We can afford beautiful surroundings and occupy ourselves with interesting and challenging work. And so, we can forget what we really are. We can forget that without God, no matter what we look like on the outside, spiritually we are as emaciated and repulsive as those photos.
For Americans, this is a major problem. We have forgotten what we really are. Whenever there is a tragedy, like the VA Tech murders, we hear the cry that "We didn't deserve this.", "We are good","We are strong." ... There is no humility in the way that we act. The possibility that we might deserve bad things never crosses our minds anymore. The possibility that a nation that aborts millions of babies, that promotes greed, lust, gluttony and excess at every turn, might incur the wrath of God, is an utter impossibility in the minds of most Americans.
So I wonder about just how far we should engross ourselves in turning back the curses of sin. For instance, I got an interesting looking book out of the library which promises that with 20 minutes a day of special facial exercises you can take years off your appearance. This is appealing, and it doesn't seem like an exorbitant amount of effort, but would it be more God-glorifying to be content with the ravages of time? How about interior decorating? How beautiful is too beautiful? How much is too much? How do we know when and where to draw the line and say enough is enough? I don't want my heart to be ensnared and I'd rather be in safe territory than walking a fine line, but on the other hand, I don't want to be creating man-made laws.
I have a feeling that the more energy we expend on others, the less time we will have for such vain things, and the less they will matter to us. It's nice to have a nice house, to be healthy and beautiful, but when there are people around us who need our love, care and attention, we just won't have enough time or energy to overinvest in those areas.
Comments (10)
Very insightful. Interestingly, the world's poor are the most open to salvation. Also, as those countries have begun to develop spiritually, they have also begun to develop better health habits and leave behind some of the ritualistic ideas that caused their problems such as famine and disease. Africa is still in crisis, but there are more growing churches in Africa now than the US. What's sad to realize is that while those countries are turning to God in their need, our country has turned away from God in our abundance to gluttony and prostitution and is slowly digressing to the point that our social systems are breaking down - welfare, social security, etc. Even our legal system is corrupt. It's like we have the right to do almost anything except the right thing anymore. It's all very disheartening to me. Sometimes I wish I were in a place where need was more obvious as you've described. I actually went to college because I wanted to be a missionary to India and instead I ended up in King County, WA with 71,000 millionaires and those are mostly liberal. It's very sad to see what people value and what they have no value for at all - like life.
As for your response regarding ministry, I agree with you. I feel a little overwhelmed right now not knowing how things will go with a new addition to the family. I'm very hesitant to start something new. I think perhaps somewhere further down the road I'll be more involved.
~ Catherine
Hey Danielle!
Thanks for all your comments! I've been hard-pressed to find time to write back, as we've been going on lots of day trips lately with the good weather, but today on a quiet, cloudy Sabbath I have some time to settle down, read your thought-provoking blog & respond!!
I thought the new adaption of Persuasion was pretty good. It's hard to compare it with the other one, as it's been so long since I saw it. But as I've never read the book, I have no idea how either compares with it!!
Hm, interesting questions about dealing with effects of the fall... I immediately thought of Phil. 4:8, which tells us to think on what is lovely, of good repute, etc. The Prov. 31 woman dressed herself in fine linen and purple. From those and others, I don't think it's wrong to surround oneself with beauty, or think upon beautiful things, per se. The majority of our thoughts though should be upon God and the things of Him, just as the majority of our actions should be serving Him including in serving others.
I think when we are praying and reading the word of God every day (thanks so much for your encouragement to this, Danielle, you've really helped!!), and seeking to live our lives as He instructs us, we will be very aware of our sin and our need for sanctification! God is beautifying His church & sanctifying His people. He is redeeming us from the effects of the fall in our spiritual lives.
But how far should we seek to change other effects of the fall? We are to bring order to our lives, for that is glorifying to God, and to do good quality work, as that also is glorifying to God, and to look after our bodies, but I guess the crux of the matter is that there is always a balance, and our focus should always be upon God most of all. True beauty is a reflection of God's order and design, so it's right and natural to rejoice in beautiful things, but always to think most of all on Him the source of beauty. It's good to seek good health, but to do it with the main purpose of having more energy to serve God & others, and to only invest a certain amount of time in it, to give room to serve others. Good to have a beautiful house, but not over the top.
The Bible shows a balance in everything. I'm only starting to see all the ways different commands of God interrelate. There will probably always be a tension between the effects of the fall and the order which God originally created. Probably a good thing to ask is, what is my basic attitude towards material possessions? As Teddy said in his sermon this morning, we should rejoice in what God gives us as gracious gifts from Him, be thankful and enjoy them, but not focusing on them too much, but rather Him most of all.
Teddy's sermon was very good & many points in it seem applicable to your questions. I want to copy my notes from it down into my blog, so check soon!
You were saying you have to repaint a lot. Do they sell washable paint in America? This has been very useful because I just have to wipe those fingerprints off!!
Must go finish the dinner now! It was great to "visit" you & I hope to phone you soon!
Lots of love & hugs,
Mary
P.S. When I see those pictures of poverty it makes my heart reach out to them and I want to kneel in prayer, for their material but most of all their spiritual needs. God is the light that those people need, even more than any material possessions!!
Thoroughly good post - good questions and good answers.
I think that because we are created in God's image, and He is a creator, we have an inner desire to create beauty around us. So some of that is a good thing; I also like what Mary said about bringing order to our lives as that pleases a God of order. But when we forsake ministry or become self-focused and self-indulgent, then we are not honoring Him.
Ironically, the sermon at our church yesterday was on I Timothy 6: 6-10 and 17-19 and mainly around this same topic. I thought of your post. I think Miller makes a good point about creating beauty. Whenever we talk about home decorating, I inevitably refer to Sean's former boss and his wife. Their home is very warm and inviting, but not extravagant. I think it's perfect. It creates a warm environment for fellowship and hospitality.
~ Catherine
Good point. I will think about it some more.
Great post!
I like Becky's point about creating beauty around us, and also Catherine's point about creating a warm, inviting atmosphere in the home. It made me remember that our homes are part of our witness to the world around us. Messy homes (and I speak to myself too!!) do not provide a good witness. Neither do overly decorated/extravagant homes. But beautiful, warm, orderly homes do.
I also like having Scripture up on the walls. This provides an instant declaration of our Christianity to visitors and also give useful reminders as we walk around our house! We have a mahagony plaque over the entrance to the kitchen, visible from the front door, that declares, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." God is Lord in our houses! May He give us more and more grace to act like it! May we glorify Him more and more every day of our lives, in every area!
Thanks for your comment!! I know, things often feel like Sodom in the UK too, though thankfully not so much in Northern Ireland, but it is getting worse here too. But I have so much hope in our powerful, loving God. I have been praying for the countries around the world, and want to reach out more to the community around me, now that I have more strength. Having neighbors over for dinner, etc. Even little chats on the bus can sow seeds. The fact that I have my children with me on the morning bus often brings up homeschooling, which can bring up why we homeschool, etc. People often comment how good the children are - so that's in itself a witness!!
I hope you have a really good day. It's cloudy, blustery, and showery here, but I'm glad the plants are getting some rain after a long dry spell!
Talk to you soon, God willing!
Lots of love,
Mary
all this is great but we need balance and our priorities set right. those people that died or went through so much pain arent being punished. i dont believe this world is being punished by God. God yes is angry but He also loves us and wants the best. possibly the best might be in the middle of our own or others pain.
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