Complacency

I think I was getting a little too comfortable yesterday evening -- a little too complacent. I was laying in my comfortable big foam bag talking to God with a warm blanket on top of me and a soft pillow under my head. I was safe inside my apartment with no fear of someone breaking in to harm my family or steal our things. I wasn't worried about stray bullets coming through the window or wall. I wasn't worried about whether it would rain tomorrow, how cold it would be, or if I would make it to the food line on time. I wasn't worried about having enough to eat. I wasn't worried about my sick or dying child or wife. I wasn't worried about finding a job before the bank foreclosed. I wasn't worried about getting beaten by my spouse. I wasn't worried about someone sneaking in my room to abuse me. I wasn't worried about a lot of things.

Well, that's good. We shouldn't worry. But more important than what we should or shouldn't do is why. When one's biggest problems are what to eat, what to wear, what to watch, what to read, what to do, and so on -- and not one of those things is a problem, despite what many children and some adults will say -- it seems very easy to get the reason for not worrying wrong.

One with a comfortable life could say "God gave me this great life with many blessings in it. Thank you God!" Rightfully so. We should give thanks to the LORD for all that he gives us. But the question also follows for that person, who or what are you trusting? The gifts or the giver?

Shame on us if we ever trust the gifts more than the giver.

Even if one had to lay on the dirt floor, with no pillow and no blanket, in a bad part of town, in a war-torn and famine-ravished country where the government physically persecutes Christians, with a cancer ridden spouse and child -- that person still needs to put their trust in God.

God reminded me of that this morning through pictures of the earthquaked riddled country of Haiti. So many destroyed buildings. So many people hurt or killed. Pictures of adults covering the crushed bodies of dead children. A father holding his dead daughter in his arms. People wailing because of the loss they are facing. These are hurting people in need of help. What little many had has been taken and thus they must depend wholly on God to see them through this difficult time and provide for their needs.

Thank you God for always providing for your children, but thank you also for opening our eyes to the reality of the broken world in which we live. Thank you for reminding us that when we are greatly blessed, materially, spiritually, or any-other-ally, we also should be a blessing to others.

Its so easy to fail into a pit and let trust in God waiver as our lives move toward either extreme -- either by falling into a pit of despair because of terrible circumstances or by falling into a trap of lukewarm complacency because of comfortable living. We must always remember that the Word says to be content with what we have, not to be content because of what we have.

Grace and Peace brothers and sisters. Please pray for quick and overwhelming relief support, as well as opportunities to open up and be taken to share the gospel with the lost in that country.