Who Are You Trying To Impress Anyway?

 I am fully aware at this point in my life that God enjoys using the children He’s sovereignly blessed us with to bring me to humility whenever I need a reminder.  I must expect by now that I won’t be riding any high horse for very long before God allows one of my kids to say or do something that convicts me of my nasty sin of pride.  Many times I elevate “MY” expectations over God’s expectations, which somehow never seems to work out in my favor.  Once such instance where my priorities were out of whack occurred this last weekend as we were getting ready for lots of company to arrive at our home.  

I’ve always enjoyed opportunities to extend hospitality to others and this past weekend we were looking forward to having my husband’s family come to stay at our new home.  They are very gracious and thankful house guests who certainly don’t expect the luxurious accommodations of the Ritz Carlton Hotel when they come, but I was dead set on getting everything accomplished that “I” thought needed to be done before they arrived.  Shortly before their arrival, I was still frantically attempting to get every detail taken care of so that everything would be “perfect”.  Our 17 year old daughter Elizabeth and I hurried out to quickly run some last minute errands in town.  She listened as I continuously muttered little prayers out loud as I drove saying, “Lord, PLEASE let me get that deck chair painted before they get here and PLEASE let us find a vacuum cleaner to buy so we can get home and vacuum before time runs out.”  Elizabeth definitely sensed my anxiety at the realization that I may not get everything completed on my “to do” list in time.  She tried to comfort my fears several times by telling me not to worry about it.  Seeing that her attempts to bring me to repentance of my sin of anxiety and fear were in vain, my daughter wisely asked me one simple question, “Mom, who are you trying to impress anyway?”  This may not sound like a profound question to anyone else besides me, but God used those words she spoke to hit me like a ton of bricks!  After all, who did I think I was and who was I trying to impress with all the things I wanted to accomplish anyway?  Were my efforts all an attempt to give glory to my God or was it all done in vainglory to exalt myself?
Once again as numerous times before, I was faced with my ugly sin of pride!  All of my personal perfectionistic expectations didn’t mean a thing to my husband’s family, but most importantly, they didn’t mean a thing to God.  This whole situation reminded me of the account of Mary and Martha in the Bible.  Jesus had come to town and was invited over to the home of his good friends Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha.  Apparently Martha was very hospitable, having the best of intentions and wanted everything perfect for Jesus, and who wouldn’t?!  But she was distracted by so much ‘serving’ that she became slightly annoyed by her sister Mary’s devotion to simply sit at Jesus’ feet.  Martha was so preoccupied with the busy tasks she wanted to accomplish in the kitchen that she couldn’t see the most important aspect of extending hospitality.  In Luke 10:39-42 we witness the interaction between Jesus and Martha as it seems she is complaining and seeking sympathy from Him as her sister wasn’t helping her in the kitchen.  (Vs. 39-42)  Martha pleads, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me.  And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken from her”.  Jesus is lovingly showing Martha that she does not need to worry, fear or be troubled about all of those little details she thought she needed to accomplish for His visit, but that the most important priority she could have was to lovingly minister to Jesus by spending time with Him and be ministered by Him in return.  Mary wasn’t being lazy as implied by her sister Martha.  I’m sure she had been helping her to prepare for Jesus’ visit before He arrived, but her priority was to show her dedication to Him by humbly sitting at his feet and soaking in His teachings.  I must admit that I naturally tend to gravitate toward having Martha’s priorities by being wrapped up in the serving and accomplishing tasks part of having company instead of taking the time to sit and fellowship with the guests in my home like I should.
My daughter’s convicting words and the Holy’s Spirit prompting me to recall the account of Mary and Martha really made me think.  The entire source of my anxiety while preparing for our company was based on my selfish priorities not matching up with God’s priorities for me.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not a clean heart versus clean house sort of battle.  A clean home, a warm, inviting atmosphere, good food, and fresh sheets and towels are very important to provide when showing hospitality to others.  I believe meeting all of these physical needs of others is a testimony for Christ and it demonstrates His love.  My problem always comes when I get caught up in the unnecessary expectations I place on myself and others in trying to do things that are not God’s will for me to accomplish at that time.
No one cares if I get the chairs on the deck painted!  No one cares if all of our walls are perfectly painted with no scuffs!  No one cares if all of the cans and Tupperware in the kitchen pantry are completely organized!  There’s certainly nothing wrong with having those things done, but if I’m more concerned about those superficial tasks than I am humbly bowing to God’s “to do” list for me, I am elevating my will above His and that ALWAYS means trouble!  We’re told in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”.  It’s imperative for us to keep our attitudes, actions and priorities constantly in check with Christ’s.  If we have the mind of Christ we’ll be focused more on praying for our company, encouraging them and looking for ways to meet their needs during their visit instead of making sure all the windows are smudge free. 

 Do you struggle like I have at times with having the wrong priorities in this area?  If so, I hope you will remember this blog post the next time you’re preparing to have company. Instead of spending time on all of the extra superficial tasks that your guests may never notice, I challenge you to adjust your priorities to meet Christ’s.  I guarantee without a doubt that this will bring FAR more honor, glory and praise to our God than any nicely painted deck chair ever could.

Moving, Purses, Scissors, Clean it Out!!! Deja Vu

You would think that one completely and utterly embarrassing public situation would be quite enough for some people, but not me!  Apparently I don’t always learn the first time and must enjoy repeating the same sort of predicaments over and over.  Have I finally learned my lesson with this one?  Time will certainly tell.

Recently my husband and I ran some errands that we needed to take care of after our move to a new area.  One such task was to fill out some tax information on our property at the local courthouse.  A visit to the courthouse would not be a problem for most law abiding citizens, but because of my past “history” with metal detectors I try to steer clear of highly secured public buildings, just in case.  My reluctance stems back to an unpleasant incident at the Nashville Courthouse involving 3 large pair of scissors.  We were there to support friends by attending a trial, but before we could even get through the door, we were required to pass through security.  I do admit that although I was carrying an enormous purse, I sincerely was not aware of the fact that I was packing 3 full size pair of sewing scissors.  In my defense, we were in the process of moving out of state, so I apparently put all of our scissors in my purse for safekeeping so my kids wouldn’t use them for some craft project and neglect to return them to me.  That particular morning at the courthouse, each of my attempts to pass through the metal detectors seemed to be failing miserably.  I noticed that the very nice security guard was becoming quite annoyed with me and my absentmindedness.  Surely he could recognize that I did not appear to be a threatening or dangerous person.  Although each time he pulled out a new pair of scissors from my purse, I could tell that his doubts about my innocence and sanity were becoming more cemented in his mind.  Sad to say, even though I came close to being labeled as a threat to security and being personally escorted from the building, they confiscated every pair of scissors I owned and did not return them to me!  In the midst of these upsetting circumstances, I was reminded of the dream I’d had the night before clearly telling me to clean out my purse.  I had realized that it was heavy from all of the unnecessary weight that didn’t belong in there but I’d gotten so busy with packing for our move that I overlooked my desperate need to clean it all out.  You would think that I would’ve learned to keep my purse clean after this excruciatingly embarrassing fiasco, but I am special and God apparently enjoys displaying His sense of humor through the nutty things I do.

Hence, my latest incident of déjà vu just a few weeks ago with another courthouse metal detector, my huge handbag and large scissors has really made me think.  While attempting to enter the courthouse to sign papers regarding our property taxes, I again needed to be cleared through a metal detector.  Once again, the detectors did not like some items I was unknowingly carrying around.  Apparently there were some things that were considered “weapons” that were pulled from my purse, one of which was a full size pair of scissors which I honestly didn’t remember putting in there.  I apologized over and over to the police officer who seemed to question my sincerity, but was nice enough to return my scissors upon my departure from the building.  Needless to say, my husband stopped me just in time from mentioning to the law enforcement officer about my previous encounters with metal detectors and scissors.

Both of these very stressful real life, self induced, awkward incidents could’ve been avoided if I’d simply remained diligent in purging the unnecessary clutter and maintaining a clean purse.  In reflecting on these predicaments, I was reminded of some important truths that often get neglected in our spiritual lives.  Just as I was distracted by all of the tasks of moving that I didn’t remain focused on cleaning out my purse, which caused me many problems, the same thing can happen in our spiritual life.  We frequently become so caught up with everyday life that we forget to take time for cleansing and purifying our heart before God.  When we choose to allow sin to build and clutter up our hearts and do not confess it, we will then begin to suffer the damaging, devastating and life altering consequences.

Believe me, I am the poster child for what unconfessed sin can do to a person.  I used to be so extremely prideful!  I rarely confessed my sin for years and I was a huge mess!  The guilt from harboring sin in my heart almost destroyed my relationships and my health. Since God’s law is written on our hearts, we experience guilt when we deviate from His standards by sinning.  Romans 2:15 says, “Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or excusing them.”  Even though we may not realize it, by choosing to harbor our sin and not confess it, our conscience is full of guilt.  Guilt does terrible things to us by altering our brain chemicals, causing all kinds of mental, physical and spiritual problems.  I know how unconfessed sin can destroy someone because my heart was overtaken by the guilt of my sin that I refused to confess.  I was headed for self destruction because I wouldn’t humble myself and clean out my heart!  Praise God for His patience and love toward me!  Praise God for His powerful Word and the fact that the blinders came off my eyes showing me the tremendous load of guilt I was carrying and my need to confess it.

God’s Word shows us the devastating effects that unconfessed sin has on our life, our health, our well being and our relationships with Him and others.  In Proverbs 28:13 we see “He who covers his sin will NOT prosper, BUT he who confesses and forsakes it will obtain mercy.” The example of King David’s disobedience to God by committing adultery and murder is found in 2 Samuel 11-12.  After being confronted and suffering a host of destructed consequences, David’s repentance of his sin is well documented in Psalm 51.  He felt the tremendous weight of guilt from his unconfessed sin and cries out to God in Psalm 51:10 saying, “Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within in me.”  In Psalm 38:3 David talks about how he has “no soundness of flesh or health in his bones” and his “wounds stink from his sin that was festering.” All of these were results were from initially refusing to clean out his heart from sin.  

There is a hope and cure for the nasty sin that we each harbor.  In I John 1:9 we can rest in the promise that “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”  Once our heart is cleaned out from sin, we will experience and witness the power of God in our lives like never before!  Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:8,“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” 

Here are the most important truths about my heart that I’ve learned in my spiritual life:

·         Understand how wicked and deceitful my heart can be.
·         Be aware of and guard the condition of my inner heart.
·         Daily reading and applying God’s Word convicts me of sin and motivates me to confess it.
·         Don’t be distracted by the clutter of life and neglect purifying my heart of sin before God and others.
·         Even if the sin has been there for years, I must get it cleaned out.
·         No matter how big or small my sin may seem, it’s all an offense to my Holy God.
·         Keeping up daily maintenance of sin is crucial to living an abundant, blessed life.  
·         I must be sensitive to the spiritual “detectors” God allows in my life that remind me of sin I may be harboring.
·         Always remember how much I suffered physically, mentally, and spiritually before choosing to confess my sin.
·         Treasure the peace and joy that comes from a heart that if purified through confession.
·         Be thankful for how God shows His power in and through me when my heart is pure.
·         Praise God Almighty for sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross in my place to pay for my filthy sin!

I pray that each one reading my post today will take the time to humble yourselves, bow before the Lord and confess any sin that may be cluttering up your heart today.  The benefits of a pure heart will be life altering for you and everyone you come in contact with.  Once the guilt from harboring sin is gone, it is replaced by a peace and joy that ONLY our Savior’s blood could provide.  Be prepared to “see” God working AMAZING things in your life and using you to accomplish what seems impossible to men.  Every one of us desires to live a life blessed by our Creator.  The secret to living an abundant life in Christ is keeping our heart pure from sin.  My prayer is that you’ll remember my crazy stories about my cluttered purse and my need to clean it out and it will prompt you to purify your heart from sin.