Sunday Truths // Living Simply

I've never thought of myself as rich. Middle-class, yes, but never rich. As an adult, I have a good job... and hefty student loans as proof. I have a house and a car (with their respective payments!) and all the other things that a 'grown up' should have. I am beyond thankful for my worldly possessions and recognize that I have much more than many others. But I never thought of myself as rich.

Probably because I have bills, and a budget, and a retirement fund. Probably because I can't go out and spend money without thinking about it, because I can't shop at designer stores or by a house in the mountains. I mean, the Kardashians are rich, not me.

But you guys. I am rich. Not just in the traditional sense. I definitely have more than enough, but I also have knowledge, resources and access. I have so much access to the gospel that it's somewhat absurd. Podcasts, sermon notes, churches on every street, online bible studies, countless books, websites, theologians, a Bible app on my iPhone and iPad, not to mention my hard copy Bible. I am surrounded by access to the gospel, praise God.

But here is the nagging question... 

If I am surrounded by access to God's word and the truths of His promises, why does my life look like everyone else's in America? 

There are people in other countries who literally hang their lives on the gospel, and they often have only a paper and pen copy of the Word. Shouldn't I, who have so much more access to knowledge, so much more ability to dive into the Word, hang my life on the words of those pages all the more?

Jesus tells us that it is harder for a rich person to enter His kingdom than for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle. He also tells us that many will believe that they are following Him, when in truth they are slaves to money. I have always been so sure of my salvation, but in putting those two truths together, I can't help but wonder if my first-world problems are keeping me from the deepest truths of the gospel, keeping me from living a life that points only always and directly to my Maker. 

I don't have the answer. Right now I just have a restless heart and a desire for more.

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On top of this wrestling in my heart has been an insatiable desire to live more simply. I have a few practical ways of making this happen, but for now I am starting with this study. I am also deleting my Facebook account, {attempting} to get rid of half of my clothes, and finally recycling a lot of old magazines that I hang on to simply because of nostalgia. I am savoring every moment I get to nurse my baby boy, the afternoon sunlight in the trees, and my husband's strong, handsome face.

The stress, the anxiety, the over-extension has got. to stop. I was created for a purpose, and that purpose is so much greater than many of the things I spend my energy on. I want to be an encouraging and serving wife, a supportive and uplifting mother, and a godly woman of faith. I want my life to be a legacy that points to the God who created it all. 

I hope you'll join me.

xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Hard Truth

I became a Christian at a young age. I grew up in the church with my incredible, ever-strong mother as the principal spiritual leader in my life. I was baptized at 15 and unconsciously assumed that was the end of the process. I assumed that my act of obedience placed the Holy Spirit into my heart, where He would remain until I moved from this earth into heaven. I knew life would be full of trials, and that the Spirit would be there to guide me, but I never expected for my faith to be so completely shaken as it has been over the past year.

Even today, the way I understand my faith and the truth of the gospel is radically changing.... in the most wonderful, fulfilling way. The most important, most terrifying revelation is that I am utterly, completely dependent on God for everything in my life. I myself bring nothing to the table. This principle flies in the face of everything that society tell us, but it is the truth of the gospel. The problem lies in the fact that we don't want to see it.

"Do we really think that a crown of thorns and whips and nails and a wooden cross and all the other facets of the crucifixion that we glamorize are powerful enough to save us? [...] What happened at the cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself."

This is the gospel.

"The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever."

The first time I read that passage I ended up in tears. It's heart-wrenching, but true. The gospel proclaims our hopeless, sinful situation while the world boasts to us of self-improvement. The raw, true gospel speaks to an unconditional surrender of all that we are to all that is God. 

Quotes from Radical, by David Platt
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copyright Hiking in Stilettos