Matthew 6

I've been reading Matthew for the last few days.
isn't it funny how you can read the same thing dozens of times, and it still feels new when you read it again?
I love that about the Bible. it never gets old. it's always relevant.

Matt & I have been talking a lot lately about money. about having enough of it or not. about wondering if we're going to be okay.
I think it's something everyone worries about, at least from time to time.
but sometimes, it just gets harder to trust. the Lord brings you to a new level, a level where more is at stake, and it's harder to let go and trust than it was before.
we talked at length about it last night.
then, this morning, I read Matthew 6.

first off, Jesus gives a teaching on how to pray. but before He does that, He says not to make your prayers long and flowery. keep them short and simple, like how I think of a conversation with a friend. personal. and when He gives a reason for keeping your prayers from being like the Pharisees, He says (in verse 8),

"So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

He knows before we utter a word! how many of us, if we truly believed this simple statement, would worry just a little bit less? about money, but also about anything that's on our hearts.

I think all of us know the Lord's prayer. it follows the pattern that Jesus talked about, simple and to the point. and when it comes to provision, all He says is "Give us this day our daily bread." (vs.11).
this tells me a couple of things. He wants us to ask, and He wants to provide for us. it also tells me that He'll give us enough for today. not tomorrow, or next week, or next year. He'll give us enough for today. and He'll do that everyday. especially if we continue to ask.

moving on in the chapter, we come to verse 19-21:

^"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

don't worry about building up wealth on earth. worry more about what truly matters, about what will last beyond the end of this earth. love one another.

and finally, the passage so many are familiar with, but I think so few of us fully grasp. it helps me to better understand when reading in context with all the above (and the rest of Matthew). it's not an isolated set of instructions. they interweave with everything that Jesus commanded us. the instructions? do not worry!!!

^"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

I love the part where He says that you cannot add a single hour to your life by worrying.
isn't the opposite true? medicine tells us that stress can shorten your life. worrying is pretty stressful, if you ask me!
He says He will provide food and clothing according to our needs.
what more do we really need?

instead of seeking after the things that "Gentiles eagerly seek", what are we instructed?

(verse 33) "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

and finally, verse 34, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I don't know about you, but this will keep me busy for a while. that is, figuring out how to do this.
but I'm willing to try. His promises are greater than anything the world has to offer. of this I am sure!

why the emphasis?

a friend posed a question of me about a week and a half ago.
she also posted about it.

she asked why it was so important to be married. or even dating someone.
why has it become such an emphasis in the church? why can't we ask something of single people besides "is there a special someone in your life?".

it was a good question. and it made me think.
I was pondering one night, and I feel like the Lord spoke something to me. it was rather simple, and I don't think it's a complete answer. but it may be a start.

He said that we've missed it. as a culture first, and as a church second. we've missed the mark.
He made us for community. He made us to share our lives with those around us. to have intimacy in our relationships. to know one another inside and out. to live in such a way that nothing is kept secret, and our needs are taken care of.
our culture has become so independent and self-sufficient. the church has done the same (in many cases, and in my opinion).
we live separate, lonely lives. we have a need, and we take care of ourselves.
therefore, we've missed the mark. we've lost out on the way He's designed us to live.

except in marriage.
what the Lord designed for us to find in community with other believers, we find almost solely in our spouses. He designed us with many needs. and these needs should be fulfilled by the many in our lives. but it doesn't seem to work that way very often, in our culture or in the church.
Waypoint wants to change that.
but for now, it seems to still be that way.

could that be why there's such an emphasis on marriage? on finding "the one"?
we have unfulfilled needs. our hearts are longing for something, but we can't quite figure out what. so we look for it in a spouse. in a girlfriend or boyfriend.

if we truly lived in community, if we truly relied on one another, if we truly shared our lives in intimacy with one another - I have to wonder. would the emphasis on marriage lessen a little?

marriage is wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for anything. but maybe, if we were living the way He intended, it wouldn't seem so necessary to so many.

food for thought. I'm not saying this is the answer - it was just a little something that came to me!

a few words from a band called Watashi Wa:

We just need someone
We are more than wandering lives, or shadows in the dark
We all need someone to carry each other through it all
Everybody needs someone

Of all the things in the world
Of all the dreams in the world

We just need someone
We are more than wandering lives, or shadows in the dark
We all need someone to carry each other through it all

for sure! (Firchau)

Happy birthday, my friend!! all the best. always.
I'm glad you're in my life!

self-esteem destruction

I've discovered a very good way to destroy someone's self-esteem in 30 seconds or less.
ask them if they're pregnant.
better yet, ask them repeatedly (over the course of a couple of months, or course). then, after being told "no, I'm not pregnant", look the person up and down, then with a questioning look in your eyes, say, "are you lying to me?" when they say "no" again, tell them that it "looks like you're trying to hide it" and that "you look very motherly".

you may wonder why I say all of this.
well, because it happened to me! the last month, I've been asked over and over again.
and the above conversation, though it may sound fabricated, happened today, with a co-worker.
trust me, I took no liberties. the conversation is typed out word for word as it happened less than an hour ago.

I have a few questions on the subject.
first, why would you EVER ask if someone was pregnant? unless they're about ready to pop they're so incredibly pregnant, that's a question you should never ask (at least based on appearances).
second, let's pretend for a second that I am pregnant (which I'm not - I want to be, but I'm not yet!). under that assumption (that I'm pregnant), say I am lying to you and I'm wearing clothes in a way that hides the pregnancy. don't you think that maybe, just maybe, I have a reason for not telling you? for hiding the facts? as a co-worker (my manager, to be exact, who I have no relationship with and rarely talk to or see), why would you ask these questions of someone? are you trying to destroy their self-esteem?

well, it pretty much worked. I feel like crawling in a hole. or maybe I'll just go to the bathroom, lock myself in a stall, and have a good cry.

the sweetest thing...

look! no hands!!
ah, the joys of being a child and discovering static electricity & baloons...

2 weeks!

It's official! I put in my resignation at the bank.
two weeks from today, I am a free woman!

what's even better: I LOVE my new job! it's been so long since I've had a job that I looked forward to going to. it really is a great feeling.

2008

what happened to 2007?
it was a good year. lots happening.
something that's very hard for me to believe is happening in just three days: my 2 year anniversary! two years!! that's a long time if you think about it. think of other things you've done for two years - there aren't many. go to school, work a certain job, have the same roommate. two years.
and we still get accused of being newlyweds. people falter when they find out it's been nearly two years - they have to think up something to explain why we still like each other so much! they are always unsuccesful in finding an excuse - they simply have to realize that marriage actually CAN work and be fun!

I graduated college! I'm starting a new job on Monday. I'll be working as a para in a resource room at a middle school. it's not glamorous, and it pays very little, but my heart will be in it. and that is worth taking a paycut in my book! I'll be working full-time, so that'll make up some of the difference. and it will hopefully not be long term anyway - I'm hoping to not be in the workforce for all that much longer! (God-willing).

I bought a parenting book last night. weird.
no, I am NOT pregnant! just wanting to be prepared. :)