A house full of stuffies

I keep having this precious picture in my mind of Zack laying in his bed with his Elmo on his left and Mickey and Pluto cuddled together on his right side. Sound asleep surrounded by his friends Zack looks content and peaceful. He really is sweet. The challenge I have been thinking about is the 3 friends he was sleeping with, his little bits of security because it is so hard to go to sleep by yourself. For Zack it is really sweet and precious that he values the friendship of his inanimate buddies, but for me it is not so cute. What are my little stuffies that I have surrounded myself with for a sense of security? What are the objects that I feel like I need to have in order to be at peace, to rest? It becomes challenging really quickly.

I have just started reading Jenn Hatmaker and I think I would just as soon put it down and forget all about it except that I told the ladies at my church that we would be studying it in our Tuesday Bible Study, so I am pretty much committed. I need to be careful in the future what I get myself into. Yesterday I was reading the first chapter of Interrupted and thinking about all the starving children in the world, very aware of my full cupboards. I probably have 20 boxes of cereal in there, are their kids in my city who have none? Probably, but I would rather not think about it because if I think too hard and long on it my comfortable life may not be so comfortable, and God may pull the stuffies right out from under me. I wonder how many things that are collecting dust in my house or are stored up in boxes could be sold and the money given to the poor. I wonder if we should have such a big house in the first place.

I wonder what God really desires for the church. Do we deserve all this stuff? My husband is an engineer, we make a comfortable living, but there is that word again.. comfortable, are we meant to be comfortable? For some reason the fact that Jesus had “no place to lay his head” is running through my mind this morning. He did not amass great riches in this world. He could have, He could have had a nice big house filled with gold; not interested. He was interested in bringing good news to the poor and healing the sick. He was interested in teaching a motley crew of men about the Kingdom of God and how they were going to help build it. He was too caught up in rebuking the rich and powerful to want to be one of them. He was on a mission and He didn't let the riches of this world keep him from the cross he was to die on, or the victory he would gain in his resurrection.

Luke 12:16-21

The Message (MSG)
16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”



What if God has given you and me a terrific crop? I know that God has abundantly blessed me and Jeff. We have more than we need and we delight in giving much away, but I wonder if we should be giving more away. I wonder if we should stop buying whatever we want whenever we want. I am full of questions right now but I am fearful of what the answers may be. I don't want to be that fool who builds bigger barns to store his grain when he has neighbors who are starving. Jeff and I are joining Lincoln Academy as tutors once a week. I know God is going to open our eyes to the poor. We are going through adoption/foster care classes at DHR which has already pretty much shocked me in the depths of abuse and poverty these sweet babies endure. We are in a new season as a family. I am not sure what everything will look like when the dust settles, but I am sure of the God who blows the wind. Pray for us on our journey into loving on the poor and into opening our home to foster and adopt.
When Jesus comes calling I don't want him to find me fast asleep surrounded by stuffies. I want him to find that he is my comfort and peace.