“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galations 1:10
Yesterday the Lord showed me something about myself. Something ugly. He showed me that more often than I would care to admit, I have been seeking the approval of man and seeking to please man rather than trying to please God. Ouch.
Now, this may be an old lesson for some…and I have probably been shown these things in the past…but the Lord showed it to me again, to remind me that I’m not there yet. I’m not to the place ~ that I’d love to be ~ where it doesn’t matter to me what people think.
You see, I have been hesitant to have people over to our house because it doesn’t meet the standards of “nice, beautiful home” that I guess I have in my head. Now, I actually love our little house. But, I also love the big, beautiful homes that I see around me! (why is it so easy to get caught up in the worldly things around me, when I know in my heart there is nothing eternal about my home and its decor?)
And I remember the words I read here.
And I wonder…how dare I be ashamed of the hallway where we don’t have trim up yet. How dare I even care that my girls dresser is falling apart. How dare I worry that my house doesn’t meet up to the standards of the wealthy around me.
After all, what is wealth?I mean really?
In the sound of happy feet running through our home…I am rich.
In the hearing of children’s laughter all throughout my day…I am rich.
In sharing the Word with my children day in and day out…I am rich.
In the abundance of clothing I have hanging in my closet…I am rich.
In the sheer size of my closet…I am rich.
In the fact that I have closets…I am rich.
In resting in His peace that passes all understanding…I am rich.
In the blessing of a beautiful husband and children…I am rich.
In the knowledge of God’s love for me…I am rich.
In the wonder of His grace and forgiveness…I am rich.
Why must I want to be rich or wealthy by man’s standards? God has blessed me beyond what I deserve. I sit in my comfortable house, on my comfortable couch…go to church in my nice, air-conditioned building with padded pews…and still I miss out on the joys of the riches of God when I choose to dwell on my have-nots.
Lord, come quickly. We need you.
Beautiful post Candace!
Love this post!
Wow! I think that we all feel like that at times, and forget just how blessed we are. The saying “if you can read this you are blessed far beyond many”. I also think that the older we/I get the less I care about what others think. Also, the more God allows me to fall and be desparate for him, the more I learn what is really important. HE has a way of teaching us thru pain what is important. I am also rich to have my grandchildren and 2 of my children close by. The shack was a shocking reminder on your blog of just how blessed we all are. Besides, we all have electricity that allows us to have our expensive computers to blog and check email on. How rich is that. Thanks Candace for the reminder of what we all need to hear.
Love you, Mom
Beautiful post. You defintiely speak the truth.
Amazing post. You really made me stop and think this morning. Thank-you!
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I can add to that having an opportunity to homeschool my children… I am blessed.
Having a chance to live in a free country… I am blessed.
Having enough for a one income household… I am blessed.
Having to know the Lord and His grace and faithfulness… I am blessed.
I came to America with very little about 30 years ago. I still don’t have a big house or fancy car to drive, but what I do have I would never trade it with anything.
It is a great post, Candace.
Very well written Candace….we have discussed this time and time again and feel the same. Even in our petty minds we feel we have “purged” useless material things, but again we are blessed beyond measure. We have a LONG way to go to really understand how most of the world lives and we live in such a world where we do pull up to the table and expect to be filled spiritually, physically, and not ever be uncomfortable. Great job!
Best post Ive read today! THanks for reminding me of how rich I am too.
AMEN. And Hallelujah!
A timely reminder to be content with what we have! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful thoughts from your heart!