Buying Time

Our small group looked at Mark 10 this week, where the rich man asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Here's a link to the passage.  The passage is familiar but so complicated. On first read, we all panic about the idea we might need to sell everything and be homeless.  Then we can quickly move to the doctrine of prosperity gospel, where we interpret this to be if we give up X (in this case all our money), then we will gain so much more, as Job did. One person mentioned the idea that maybe giving up possessions  gains us community and time. A smaller house means less to manage. Commitments to others, means receiving from all they contribute as well.

We also talked about the fact that the rich man's identity was in his wealth, and that each of us creates an identity out of something. Another person talked about identity as what we stick our claws into, like a husband or kids or persona, and needing to actually take our claws out and stick them into Christ. With the rich man, he walks away saddened at the news that he would have to sell all he owns, but in reality he is walking away from being with Christ, because Jesu's final words are, "and follow me."

If we really believe that doing what Jesus says, "leaving everything that distracts us and following him," is the best way, do we leave the thing that we cling to the most and trust both that he will provide and we will be better off? In the passage it says to let go of, farm and family and I hate to think for me of letting go of my boys (all three), my legs to run, my fingers to play, my pen to write, my my. . . , but are they what I cling to for my hope? It is a lot to ask of them, to save me and for me to control? The result of having my claws there is that I worry they won't live up to my plan, and the truth is they cannot, because my vision and plan is not Gods.

This morning my son began making tickets, because he gets them at school and now wants to receive them at home, when he does a good job. I told him the ways he can earn tickets are by practicing reading and memorizing scripture. We started with verse one of Psalm 23. Is there a more prefect declaration of our faith, dependence and ultimate hope, dwelling with the Lord forever.

It also hits me as I constantly try to figure out why I would tell someone about God, why they are missing out without him?  Because with Christ, I can let go of trying to be everything to people, to save them or myself. To be enough. I am not going to survive my own expectations let alone others. God has them and will hold them better then I can.

And so, here is my prayer
What I hope is David's prayer
And ultimately, what God prayers for me and David and . . .

Psalm 23 (real version linked here)

The Lord:
I the Lord, am your shepherd,
You shall not want.
I make you lie down in green pastures.
I leads you beside quiet waters.
I restore your soul;
I guide you in the paths of righteousness
For My name’s sake.

Me:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.