"What do you want for Christmas?" It's a question I've been asked more times than I can recall, and the answer is consistently, "I don't know what to say. What can I ask for when I have everything I need?" I remember the days when I couldn't come close to affording what I really wanted to buy for Linda, and when we needed things we could barely afford. That's all changed now. We have been blessed far beyond our wildest expectations, and there is literally nothing for which we lack.
So tonight when in men's Bible study we listened to Paul in Philippians 3 telling us about suffering the loss of all things for the sake of knowing Christ, I began to wonder about how this needing nothing impacts my relationship with Christ. How can I claim to be dependent on Jesus when in very practical ways I don't need to rely on him? Paul got to the place where everything was gone except Jesus. As Mother Teresa once said, "You don't know Jesus is all you need till Jesus is all you have." I thought of the athlete who gives up her social life in order to excel in her sport, practicing hours upon end to reach her goal. It's not a matter of giving up stuff for the sake of giving it up. Paul is talking about sacrificing the lesser in order to gain the greater. If we haven't emptied our hands and hearts of that which in reality holds onto us, we are unable to grasp the greater reality of life in Christ.
Am I willing to forego this pleasantry or pleasure for the sake of knowing Jesus? It can be most anything; sleep, recreation, a hobby, the stuff that takes up my time and attention while subtly enticing me away from time with Jesus. The movie "Frozen" has taken the world of childhood by storm. Even our little Gemma knows it, and if you ask her to sing, she'll twirl in circles chanting, "Let it go! Let it go!" I'm not convinced the lyricist was thinking theologically, but she got it right. I don't need more stuff to hold onto this Christmas. I need stuff to let go of. I'm grateful tonight for the Bible lesson. Now, to put it into practice...
No comments:
Post a Comment