Desiring exquisite food and clothing is like painting firewood. These things are consumables. Clothes keep you warm regardless of their
color. Common foods will satisfy your
hunger. Desire what is right for you.
Guigo1: Meditations
There is a Spiritual Discipline
of Detachment that will help us make spiritual progress. Attaching to the world is natural; detaching
from it makes no sense until you transfer that attachment to God.
I loved the way Guigo put it
when he described desiring clothes as painting firewood. It all burns.
That is a great way to keep the goods of this world in mind.
Honestly, I wish I did not have
as much as I do have. I don’t even know
how much I have or what I have. I envy
those who have so little that they know every item they own and put it into use
daily. I’m never as free as when I am
traveling on a mission trip. I am forced
to narrow down my personal belongings to make ample room to bring supplies for
the mission plus extra gifts for the missionaries we serve. I wear the same jewelry every day. I wear some of my clothes more than
once. It brings such freedom. If I have been gone a long time, it is
sometimes hard to think about what to wear once I get home because I have so
many choices.
There is a delicate balance of
living in this world and not getting too attached to it. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have
comforts for our time here. It is that
He wants us to keep it all in perspective.
To help me keep God’s perspective, I have a personal prayer list that is
three-tiered. I pray about things I
want. I try not to grow too attached to
these things. I put them on the list if
they seem a reasonable request that God might want to give me. Then I pray over things that are more
crucial. This is where I pray for my
family. Lastly, I pray for what is
critical,--my relationship with God. In
this way I acknowledge the things I want for my comfort in this world but leave
them to be confirmed by God. I know He
has the bigger picture of my life in view and perhaps living without some of
these blessings is good for me.
I’ve had the list for quite some
time, and I’m truly surprised about some of the yeses God has given to items on the list. For example, I had a red convertible on
there. I do drive a red convertible, and
it meets all my specifications, thanks to my husband’s tenacity in getting it
for me. The particular car I wanted is
not a necessity, but God granted me this gift.
It truly makes me grateful to God each time I get in my car (I’ve had it
for several years). I tell people the
convertible is my therapy. I love how
the gift of the car is part of the intimacy I share with God. It is does not distract me from God at
all. I know my car will burn in the end,
but it gets me to the places I need to travel and reminds me of God’s goodness
to me.
1 Corinthians
3:12-15 says, If anyone builds on this foundation using
gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the
Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will
test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the
builder will receive a reward. If
it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though
only as one escaping through the flames. Even my works and actions will be tested by
fire. I won’t have actions that will
survive when I am too attached to the comforts I have in the world.
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