"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
- Colossians 3: 1-3
Oh, how swiftly my heart and mind can be swept away from "things above"...
But how grateful I am that my Good Shepherd so gently leads me back to focusing on His Truth, restoring my vision to focus on His Kingdom, not on "earthly things."
Most often He does this through the quiet power of His Word. Colossians 3: 1-4 are the verses that I have most recently felt led to commit to memory. Ironic thing is, not two days after I started working on memorizing this compelling call to keep my heart and mind centered on Christ, another force within our world began to work mercilessly against my efforts. It was...
Black Friday.
And its partner in crime,
Cyber Monday.
Sad, I know.
This annual season of sensational sales sucked me in before I had time to click, "Empty Cart!" I was still rising early, but to shop online, not spend time with God. Thankfully I did not go completely bonkers with my spending. It was more like I was obsessed with the thrill of deal hunting. This is the one time of year when I feel a little freedom to shop because the deals are so good and I can stock up for the year ahead. [I want to be clear here: I do not think bargain hunting nor Black Friday nor Cyber Monday (nor garage sales, thrift stores, or clearance racks) are wrong in any way, shape or form! In fact, I think they are a great way to practice good stewardship of the finances with which God has blessed us. But for me, it just happened to be the most recent tool from my own personal well-stocked toolbox that was used to completely derail my heart and mind's focus on "things above" for a good 5 to 7 days. Wow.]
When it was all over with, I found myself with only a slight sense of accomplishment that I had made some savvy purchases. The more noticeable sense within my spirit was the overwhelming dryness and dullness that had crept in during my week long hiatus from seeking first my Savior above all else. Even without all those sales swirling around me to distract me into bargain hound mode, it is still a daily, ongoing struggle for me to keep my eyes on Christ above all else.
Thus, I am ever grateful for the life-giving power of God's Word, which reminds me that when I make His Truth my deepest delight and joy, disciplining my mind to meditate on it throughout my day, then (and only then) will I experience true blessings,
"like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither
— whatever they do prospers."
(Psalm 1: 2-3)
I am also thankful for the Truth He speaks through the words of even the smallest of sources in my life: my 2 year-old daughter. Just this past month she uttered one of the most profound, albeit simple, statements I've heard in my life.
One afternoon, she noticed me sitting at our kitchen table with my head in my hands, praying. She asked me why my eyes were closed and I said, "Oh, I'm just asking God where he wants us to live." (It has long been an ongoing prayer for us as a family to seek God's will when it comes to where and when exactly He wants us to build or buy a house.) After my daughter heard my reply, she said with all the I-can't-believe-you're-asking-this certainty she could muster,
"Heaven."
All I could do was stare and smile. I had been shamefully schooled my my preschooler. Through her childlike faith, God used her to minister other-worldly wisdom:
our ultimate citizenship, our permanent address can never be any place on this green earth.
It is meant to be heaven.
With our Creator, not just here in His Creation, as breathtaking as it is.
And so, through His Word and the words of the little miracles with which He has blessed me, my wandering heart and mind are gratefully swayed back to the compelling call to keep focused on "things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3: 2). For this is where real life lies.
** For a great resource to help you keep your heart and mind focused on Christ during this Christmas season, check out the Village Church's "Advent Guide"**
