Posted on by Angela

Blessings of a Cluttered Desk

1 Timothy 6:17 

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 

I sit at my desk this morning with a cat on my left hand. She rubs her head against my hand, causing my hand to type letters I don’t intend. I sigh and backspace to correct the mistakes. I have a notebook on my right entitled “Blog.”  On my left, past the cat, are a couple of journals and a devotional. My husband brought home a novel from work, so it has been added to the stack. I have two monitors. Beneath one is an old shelf- thing with a drawer. I have no idea what its original purpose was, but I loved it when we came across it in a thrift store, so it became my Mother’s Day gift that year. It makes a great monitor riser. It is in serious need of dusting. The other “monitor riser” is another Mother’s Day gift. It has a couple of Bibles and a hymnal and odds and ends some of which I don’t know quite what to do with, so they get stuck there. I also have a large candle holder full of pens, pencils, and highlighters. I have paperweights and stress toys and lotion and sticky notes scattered among the risers. This more or less constitutes my desk, which is a small dining table shoved against a wall.  

My purpose in describing my space is not to bore you or show you my organization skills, or lack of them, but rather to remind myself and you that there is a blessing in a cluttered desk. A while back I posted about identity in the things on the desk. How the things on the desk can reveal things about us. This time I want to look at it a little differently. Maybe there is a blessing in the clutter.  

Most of us tend to hate clutter. It makes us feel claustrophobic and cramped. We cannot relax or think straight until the clutter is gone. In fact, you may have read my listing above and had some anxiety. I admit to some anxiety myself. Yet, as I take a second look and consider the items, I discover how blessed I am.  

The cat wants to be near me because she loves me. She has, since I began typing, moved to lay on the notebook, to sit in front of the keyboard watching my fingers or blinking at me. The risers and novel indicate I have a family and am loved. The notebook reminds me that I need to study and plan content. I have a responsibility to whoever reads this blog. Even the dust reminds me of the fact that I have a home, a roof over my head. The Bibles remind me, if I ever need reminding, there is a God and He loves me and gave Himself for me. He is the reason I do this. He is my Audience of One.  

There is a blessing in the clutter. I am not saying that the clutter doesn’t need to be cleared away. Not at all. But maybe the next time we grumble and complain about the inconvenience of the dust, the dishes, the laundry, the mess, we can take a moment to remind ourselves that these could remind us why we have them in the first place. They could mean we have a family. They could remind us that we are loved. Regarding a pet, the clutter could remind us that an animal depends on us and trusts us. The dirty dishes mean we had food to eat and had something to prepare it in and eat that food from. The laundry indicates that we have clothes to wear. We have been blessed far beyond what we deserve and in truth we can live on far less than what we have.  

So, there is a blessing in the clutter. Whether it is a desk, a corner, or a room, the clutter can be used to remind us we have a blessing and a purpose. Clean it up certainly, but while you do so rejoice in the blessing of a God who gives us all things to enjoy.  

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Stuff We Accumulate

If you have ever moved from one home to another, you know we as humans accumulate stuff. In fact, we like our stuff. We build buildings to house our stuff when our houses aren’t big enough to keep our stuff. Then we decide we have too much stuff and we decide to get organized and toss the stuff out. We might sell it in our yard or garage for other people to buy and add to their stuff. But we feel better because the stuff is not in our house anymore.  

Others hold on to their stuff and keep adding increasingly till it overflows and takes over their home and lives. They need help to overcome this problem. Some sadly never overcome this problem. They feel secure with all their belongings around them. We call them hoarders and we pity them and we don’t understand them.  

(Image sourced from the Public Domain Image Archive / Internet Archive / University of Toronto Libraries) 

There are still those that have no stuff at all. They are the poor and destitute. They live among us but we don’t like to look at them. They remind us of all the stuff we have and how little they don’t have. Sure, every once in a while, usually around Christmas we will donate money to some charity or give away some of our stuff to make us feel better. Basically, though we slosh through our stuff content, we have done our part to make the world a better place.  

I am not here to judge or condemn. That is not my job or my point. Goodness knows I have enough stuff of my own. No, I am not here to make any of us feel guilty. We carry enough guilt. I do want us to be mindful of what we already have. We have been blessed in our lives. In our journey to live all for One, part of our understanding involves our possessions in relation to our God and Savior. We can take none of what we have with us when we pass from this life into the next. In fact, the Bible gives a story of a man who had plenty and wanted to hold on to what he had. Take a look. 

 But He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one is affluent does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.  And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’  And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’  Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”  Luke 12:15-21 NASB 

This man thought he had it figured out. The land had produced well for him. He had become prosperous. What was he to do with all the extra? He had more than enough for himself and his family. “I’ve got it.” He said with a snap of his fingers. I will tear down all my barns and build bigger barns. That will solve my problem. He forgot about the hungry people he passed from his fields to his home. He never paid attention to the poor who could have shared his wealth had he given away some of his prosperity. Instead, he tried to have as much as he could by building bigger and better barns to hold it all. To what end? God said he would die that very night. Then what would happen to all of his plans and wealth? Who then would reap the benefits? He wouldn’t take it with him. 

In 1922, Howard Carter made an extraordinary discovery. He opened an Egyptian tomb containing abundant wealth. The Egyptians had planned on everything the dead man might need in the next life. Of course, we know that the man was King Tut and all the wealth he was buried with is in a museum. Tourists can go to his tomb and view the painted walls. Archaeologists are still uncovering truths about this young king. All the riches buried with him, he never used. The only reason King Tut’s tomb was so remarkable was that grave robbers had not been able to find the tomb or break into the tomb. So, it sat for centuries untouched until Howard Carter saw “wonderful things” through a small opening.  

(Page  2023 Free-images.com. All images are Public Domain) 

We have the opportunity to see wonderful things as we move from looking at the things around us to the things above. Let us set our eyes on the things of Christ and His Kingdom. When He returns, the things we have saved and collected and hoarded will not matter at all. They are rust and dust compared to Him who sits on the throne. So, before you make the next purchase ask yourself why? Is it just one more thing that you will later toss into the donate box? Or is it something that you can use to help lead someone else on their journey to give their all for One. After all, isn’t that what it is all about? 

All for One 

Angela 

Posted on by Angela

Third Verse Devotion: He Leadeth Me

This song was written by a Baptist minister on the back of his sermon notes following an evening service. You can find the story on www.hymnary.org as usual, but he had been speaking on Psalm 23 and got caught on the phrase “he leads me.” This was the genesis of the hymn.

The third stanza is one of contentment. Contentment is something that is lacking in society. We are always looking for the next big thing. We have a hard time separating need from want. I think we can take away three ways to be content from this stanza of “He Leadeth Me”: put our trust in Him, be content with what we have, and starting with the basics.

Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine,
nor ever murmur nor repine;
content, whatever lot I see,
since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

First, the best way to find contentment is to put our hand in the hand of the Lord. This means to put our trust in Him. It is not focusing on our circumstances but focusing on God. We can do this in three ways: regular bible reading, prayer, and church attendance. There may be other ways to help focus our attention on God, but I believe these are the three biggest things we can do to keep our attention on him and not on our circumstances.

We need to be daily engaged with the Word of God. There are plenty of systematic readings you can choose from and several bible apps that can assist. Bible Gateway, Bible, Blue Letter Bible, Bible Hub, are a few online apps that you may find useful. Following daily bible reading is prayer and is a natural flow from reading the bible. Keep your focus on God through prayer and adoration. Be sure to carve time alone with God. These two, bible reading and prayer lead naturally to church attendance. We need the fellowship of other believers. We have the opportunity each week to celebrate and worship with other Christians.

The second way to find contentment is to be content with what we have. I must confess I was not familiar with the word repine, so I looked it up. The online Mirriam-Webster dictionary defined it this way:” to feel or express dejection or discontent – complain.” Websters 1928 had three explanations:

“1. To fret one’s self; to be discontented; to feel inward discontent which preys on the spirits; with at or against. It is our duty never to repine at the allotments of Providence.

2. To complain discontentedly; to murmur.

Multitudes repine at the want of that which nothing, but idleness hinders them from enjoying.

3. To envy.”

There is a line from a song I heard years ago. I am not sure of the artist or the song title, but the line has stayed with me since. It was something like “have what you want but want what you have.” Can you look at your life and your things and say honestly that you have what you want and want what you have?  Paul found this place. If anyone had reason to complain, it would have been Paul. He had been jailed, beaten, shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, stoned, left for dead, abandoned by those he called friends, unjustly accused and on it goes. Yet in Philippians 4: 11-13 he says this,

“Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

It is only by holding to the hand of Christ we find our contentment and we find our strength. When we are holding on to him and better yet, when he is holding on to us, our complaints and murmurs just seem to fade away. Our envies, discontentment, and complaining have no place when we are looking at him.

The third way to find contentment is to start with the basics. All we really need is food, clothing and shelter.  What that looks like and anything beyond that is where discontentment come into play. A bigger house, better clothes, a well-stocked pantry, these are what we look for as basics. They are nice, I will not lie. It is nice to not have to wonder where your next meal is coming from or worry about the holes in your shoes or the holes in your clothes, or if your roof leaks. However, for many people in the world this is their lot in life. Remember what Paul said earlier? He found himself in both situations. Neither gave him reason to complain. He could find contentment in both. He writes to Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:8

If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

You may argue that this is easier said that done. We need money to get by in this world even if we are content with our situation. We still have bills to pay, you argue. Yes, we do. I agree. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves to the fullest of our ability. We were not made to be idle. We were made to work. So certainly, find a job and work at it with all your heart as to the Lord. We all have something to contribute to humanity through our job. It may be serving food in a restaurant, gathering trash at a the end of a driveway, digging a ditch for a roadcrew, assisting a doctor in an office, preparing for surgery, filing in an office, teaching children to read and write, the list goes on. There are millions of jobs available. If you need one, you can find one to help provide for your basic needs. Beyond that the writer of Hebrews said,

Hebrews 13:5

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,”

We don’t have to be wealthy to be content. Neither do we have to be poor to be content. We just need to find contentment in whatever situation we find ourselves. I think that is the point the writer of our song today is trying to make. Whatever lot we are in we find contentment knowing “‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”

I encourage you to search your life and see where you are most discontent. Is there an area God has been calling you to give to him and you have been reluctant? Will you give it over to him today? Put your hand in his and be content with what you have and be content with the basics of food, clothing and shelter. He will not leave you or forsake you. Have you found your contentment in Him? Today is a good day to begin.  

Angela