Devotion for the Week...
I am an avid reader, and I enjoy books from different genres. One of my favourite genres is historical fiction, and over the years I have read a few books that featured a governess as the heroine. I had never thought about it before, but the governess was often in a rather lonely position within the household.
She was a servant, but was often better educated than the housemaids and other servants. She was also held to a rigid moral standard, more so even than the other servants, since her actions were seen as directly affecting the family, especially the children. Because of these factors, the servants didn't really accept her as one of their own.
She spent most of her time with the family, but she was never allowed to forget that she was a servant, not a member of the family. This left the governess in between the family and the servants...not really either one, not really accepted by either group as an equal.
Christians are in a similar situation. After we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we continue to live in this world, but we are not really of this world any longer. Jesus said about his disciples, (and by extension, us), "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it" (John 17:16).
How are we not of the world? Because we have accepted Jesus, we are no longer ruled by Satan, whom Jesus called "the prince of this world," (John 14:30 and 16:11). "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20) and we are told "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:15,16).
Of course, we still live in the world, so it's hard to balance that being in the world but not of the world, isn't it? We earn a living, raise our families, spend time with friends, take vacations, pursue hobbies and all the other things that are involved in living our lives. As it is so often, that balance is a matter of our priorities and our focus. As an example, we have to earn a living so we can buy food, clothing and other necessities, but if we pursue wealth for its own sake then we are acting as those who are of the world rather than as citizens of heaven.
The world is full of tempting sights, experiences and demands that threaten to pull our focus from God and onto how we can make ourselves comfortable in the here and now, or how we can get more of what the world insists we need to have, or how we can manage to do everything people expect of us. It's easy to get our priorities messed up if we listen only to the world. After all, the things of the world serve the prince of this world, who wants nothing more than to drag us away from living the way God wants us to live.
We need to be constantly aware of our situation. Constantly remembering that we belong to God and that we are to live according to His will, not that of the world.
The governess was in between because she wasn't accepted as one of the servants or as one of the family. The Christian's situation isn't exactly the same because, while we aren't really part of the world, we are fully accepted as citizens of heaven, through faith in Jesus. Unfortunately, we aren't in heaven and so we have to continue to balance in between, living as "foreigners and strangers on earth" (Hebrews 11:13), while waiting to one day be where we belong.
Do you feel that tug of being in between, of not fully belonging here in the world? How do you balance your citizenship in heaven with your life here in the world?
August 31, 2015
August 24, 2015
Content
Devotion for the Week...
I spent all of last winter looking forward to this summer because I couldn't wait to go camping. We haven't done much camping the last two years, so whenever we talked about what we should do this summer, I kept saying, "I just want to stay on the island and go camping. Lots of camping."
Well. Here we are in the latter part of August and I have yet to sleep in our tent. Mostly the weather has been awful. There was even a video circulating of the local TV meteorologist being mock arrested for trafficking in RDF (rain, drizzle and fog)! This past week the weather has been beautiful, but Nathan and Zachary were taking part in a drama camp, so we've been stuck home (isn't that always the way?).
While the summer has been relaxing, it certainly hasn't been the summer I was hoping for and there have been days I've had a hard time being okay with that because I really, really, really wanted to go camping. Several times it has taken a conscious decision to snap out of a bad mood caused by the crummy forecast before I could enjoy my day at all. On those days when I've been less than happy about the lack of camping, I've thought a lot about the verse that says, "I have learned to be content" (Philippians 4: 12). I wasn't quite remembering it right, as the verse actually says, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation", but either way, I was thinking mostly about the concept of learning to be content.
Before I go any farther, let me say that I do realize that whether or not I get to go camping in a particular summer is a very minor issue. There are people who have to deal with things that are actually things, like illnesses, financial problems or the loss of a loved one. Camping or not really isn't a thing. Sometimes, though, it's not the issue we're dealing with so much as it is our attitude about that issue.
Whether or not we are content often comes down to our attitude. We can choose to focus on the things we don't have, or we can choose to accept those things and move on. We all know people who just aren't happy, no matter what, don't we? Chronic complainers, fault finders and generally negative. Yet, sometimes, I look at what they're complaining about and think that if they'd simply look at the situation a little differently their entire attitude would change for the better.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (vv 12,13).
I find it interesting that Paul wrote about having enough food or not. In my mind, that qualifies as a thing. Something major enough to be a big deal if you don't have it, and something that you could reasonably be very upset about having to deal with. And yet, Paul says he has learned to be content even in that situation. So, obviously, this secret that Paul has learned can be applied to anything, from a lack of camping all the way up to a lack of food and beyond.
And what is that secret? "I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (v. 13). Jesus gives us the strength to endure those situations that are less than ideal. Though He will not necessarily change our circumstances, He can change our attitudes. In Him, we are able to do as Paul suggested earlier in the same chapter of Philippians: "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" (v.8).
There are two things I feel I should point out. First of all, being content in a situation doesn't necessarily mean that we never try to change that situation. When Paul was hungry I doubt he turned down food if it suddenly became available. Likewise, if we are sick, there is nothing wrong with seeking medical help or taking medication. As I said earlier, being content is a matter of attitude. We can have a good attitude even while we are working to make our situations better.
Second, I feel I should point out that there are times when the issue is more than a question of contentment. Depression and grief (and likely other situations I can't think of right now) go beyond simple discontent and are an entirely different issue. Though focusing on Jesus will certainly help in both situations, resolving them is not as easy as just choosing to change our focus. Many times people oversimplify things and say that if we have Jesus then we should never be sad - that we should be able to choose joy no matter what the situation. Often we can, but not always, and we need to be careful to avoid that oversimplification.
What about you? Is your natural tendency to be content, or are you still working on learning the secret, as Paul did? What do you find helps to change your attitude when it needs a little adjustment?
PS. In the interest of full disclosure, and because I think it's an example of God's sense of humour, I will tell you that I am writing this devotion ahead of time...on the same day when I am also packing for a camping trip. :) Yep - the weather has finally cleared at a time when we are able to leave town and so we are OUT OF HERE!
I spent all of last winter looking forward to this summer because I couldn't wait to go camping. We haven't done much camping the last two years, so whenever we talked about what we should do this summer, I kept saying, "I just want to stay on the island and go camping. Lots of camping."
Well. Here we are in the latter part of August and I have yet to sleep in our tent. Mostly the weather has been awful. There was even a video circulating of the local TV meteorologist being mock arrested for trafficking in RDF (rain, drizzle and fog)! This past week the weather has been beautiful, but Nathan and Zachary were taking part in a drama camp, so we've been stuck home (isn't that always the way?).
While the summer has been relaxing, it certainly hasn't been the summer I was hoping for and there have been days I've had a hard time being okay with that because I really, really, really wanted to go camping. Several times it has taken a conscious decision to snap out of a bad mood caused by the crummy forecast before I could enjoy my day at all. On those days when I've been less than happy about the lack of camping, I've thought a lot about the verse that says, "I have learned to be content" (Philippians 4: 12). I wasn't quite remembering it right, as the verse actually says, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation", but either way, I was thinking mostly about the concept of learning to be content.
Before I go any farther, let me say that I do realize that whether or not I get to go camping in a particular summer is a very minor issue. There are people who have to deal with things that are actually things, like illnesses, financial problems or the loss of a loved one. Camping or not really isn't a thing. Sometimes, though, it's not the issue we're dealing with so much as it is our attitude about that issue.
Whether or not we are content often comes down to our attitude. We can choose to focus on the things we don't have, or we can choose to accept those things and move on. We all know people who just aren't happy, no matter what, don't we? Chronic complainers, fault finders and generally negative. Yet, sometimes, I look at what they're complaining about and think that if they'd simply look at the situation a little differently their entire attitude would change for the better.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (vv 12,13).
I find it interesting that Paul wrote about having enough food or not. In my mind, that qualifies as a thing. Something major enough to be a big deal if you don't have it, and something that you could reasonably be very upset about having to deal with. And yet, Paul says he has learned to be content even in that situation. So, obviously, this secret that Paul has learned can be applied to anything, from a lack of camping all the way up to a lack of food and beyond.
And what is that secret? "I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (v. 13). Jesus gives us the strength to endure those situations that are less than ideal. Though He will not necessarily change our circumstances, He can change our attitudes. In Him, we are able to do as Paul suggested earlier in the same chapter of Philippians: "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" (v.8).
There are two things I feel I should point out. First of all, being content in a situation doesn't necessarily mean that we never try to change that situation. When Paul was hungry I doubt he turned down food if it suddenly became available. Likewise, if we are sick, there is nothing wrong with seeking medical help or taking medication. As I said earlier, being content is a matter of attitude. We can have a good attitude even while we are working to make our situations better.
Second, I feel I should point out that there are times when the issue is more than a question of contentment. Depression and grief (and likely other situations I can't think of right now) go beyond simple discontent and are an entirely different issue. Though focusing on Jesus will certainly help in both situations, resolving them is not as easy as just choosing to change our focus. Many times people oversimplify things and say that if we have Jesus then we should never be sad - that we should be able to choose joy no matter what the situation. Often we can, but not always, and we need to be careful to avoid that oversimplification.
What about you? Is your natural tendency to be content, or are you still working on learning the secret, as Paul did? What do you find helps to change your attitude when it needs a little adjustment?
PS. In the interest of full disclosure, and because I think it's an example of God's sense of humour, I will tell you that I am writing this devotion ahead of time...on the same day when I am also packing for a camping trip. :) Yep - the weather has finally cleared at a time when we are able to leave town and so we are OUT OF HERE!
August 20, 2015
Round Trip Quilts - Last Round
I have finished the last bit of sewing on the last of the Round Trip Quilts. I'm a little sad about that fact, to be honest. This has been a great group of women to work with, and it has been fun to see what everyone has added to the quilts each round. I'm very happy and excited that my quilt will soon be making its way home to me, but also sad to know that Jennifer won't be mailing me a new quilt to work on every few weeks.
However, this last quilt is a real beauty! This quilt belongs to Mary, who blogs at See Mary Quilt, and it is so full of gorgeous colour. Mary started us off with this rainbow star and the others kept the rainbow colour order going around the center.
Since I would be the last one to add to the quilt, I decided it needed a dark frame which would also echo the dark borders that had already been added. I ended up adding three borders - a narrow black/white border, a narrow low volume border and then a wider black/white border. All three are somewhat scrappy.
And here is the finished quilt! Mary, if you don't like it, I'll be happy to keep it here ;)
Thanks to Mary, Jennifer, Heather, Chelsea, Christina, Kim and Liz for making this round robin bee such a great experience!
However, this last quilt is a real beauty! This quilt belongs to Mary, who blogs at See Mary Quilt, and it is so full of gorgeous colour. Mary started us off with this rainbow star and the others kept the rainbow colour order going around the center.
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