Good Wednesday morning! The wind did come up yesterday, though not as much as on Monday. Wind is a fact of life out here, but only a small part of life. I always like the old saw about "if you don't mind, it doesn't matter" that some folks use to try to belittle your pain. If the wind blows hard enough to knock you off course in your walk, it matters! However much attention we pay to something does not make the something appear or disappear. If you stand strongly in the wind telling yourself that you don't mind and the wind blows a garbage can lid up against the side of your head, you are going to mind and it will matter. Wind is a part of life, but wind is not life itself. Jesus told us that he came that we might have life and have it abundantly.
Sometimes we are tempted to take that as meaning that Jesus will provide a pile of abundant loot for us to spend frivolously. However, saying life is money is like saying marriage is sex. Money is a necessary part of life, just as sex is a necessary part of marriage, but neither is all there is to life or marriage. We often give some things more credit for the whole than they deserve. Some things that we give less credit are actually more important in life. Relationships are certainly important in life. We don't always spend enough time working on our relationships, and too much time worrying about money. In Luke, Jesus puts the worries in a different light.
Don't worry about food, clothing, money, and other things that we spend too much time thinking about. Love God, and love one another are commandments that are the most important in the words of Jesus. (Yes, my paraphrase doesn't sound as good as the actual verses.) Love means a relationship. A relationship you choose and work at. Don't worry means we don't work ourselves into anxiety over those things. Worry says that we don't trust the Lord to provide. Trusting in God means we give up the worries to Him. We tend to keep the worries and let the relationships go where they will. Why do we always seem to have it backwards?
We don't get an instant and complete cleansing when the Holy Spirit enters our lives. Some habits and sins the Spirit may take away right from the start. But more often I think, we will grow slowly in the Lord as He takes us and makes us in the way and timing that suits His great wisdom. We may not like how slow some things seem to grow in our lives. Does your love seem to grow as slowly as mine does? How would you know? We cannot see from God's all-knowing perspective. Our progress, since the Holy Spirit is in charge and not us, may be right on schedule. If it isn't, the Holy Spirit is not to blame but our own rebellion. However, we are assured by Paul that the Holy Spirit will complete the work begun in us.
Have a wonderful Wednesday in Christ!
Bucky
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