This week I got an email from a friend. We’d been friends in Iowa and went through a period where both of our husbands were looking for new jobs. We were able to encourage each other as we travelled the same road. Little did we know that the road would lead to Florida for both of us! Both of our families moved to Florida in December. We moved in with Andrew’s family and my friend moved into a temporary apartment and began the house hunting adventure.
As we’ve both been adjusting to our move we’ve communicated about the challenges and the joys. One of the things she said in her recent email was that now that she’d moved into her new home she felt the “chains of stuff management” take hold again. I understand completely!
I mentioned in my post Learning to Be Content in the Big things and the Small Ones Too that I had downsized from our large home in Iowa to a bedroom in Florida. While that’s true, it hasn’t been as much of an issue as it could have been. God began teaching me about being content a long time ago.
But lately He’s been speaking about much more than the amount of stuff I have. Now it’s about my time and where I focus my attention. And the question comes down to this. If God has promised to meet all my needs then what do I do with my time?
One thing this season is about is serving my family. I have decades of experience in so many areas, I can offer to help my family in a million ways. Or…I can become self-absorbed, spending my time fussing about trying to find my place and how difficult it is to adjust to my new life.
Another thing I feel strongly about is that this season is about using the gifts God has given me. I mentioned that in my previous post. Then on Sunday our pastor preached about the parable of the talents (Matthew 25). One of the main points was that God gave each of us resources to use to multiply His kingdom and we cannot be faithful and “play it safe” at the same time. We have to take risks. Just like the servants in the story, we have to invest what we have in order to see an increase. We can’t just hide in our room and hope for the best. We must DO something with what He’s given us.
If you know me well, you know that I am the QUEEN of playing it safe. I don’t like the unknown. I don’t like risks. I like to know all of my ducks are in a row, even though some days I can’t find a duck to save my life. I’m learning to trust God, but some days it feels REALLY risky to do so. What if He has a plan that it’s just too far out there? Just too scary?
Then I look at my life and realize I have taken TONS of risks. I’ve lived through every one of them. My life is better because of them! God has never left me in a position that wasn’t exactly right when I look at it from further down the road. He has always supplied everything I have ever needed for whatever was going on at the moment. He is faithful. He is a good Father.
So the question, “what do I really need?” can be answered easily. I don’t need a house, I don’t need stuff, I don’t need all my problems solved immediately and I don’t need to stay in my comfort zone to be happy. What do I need? Only God. That is all I REALLY need. He provides everything else.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus