Day 111: Concerns

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Luke 12:34

It's very easy for us to dismiss this message.

Surely, I live my life in a way where treasure means nothing to me.  All I need in heaven is God.  Why would I be concerned about money?  I mean, aren't we already taught that money is distracting from our faith?

However, that mentality won't get us anywhere.  We live in a world where we will constantly have to face pressure for our money.  We have to work in order to make money.  We need money so that we can provide all the basic necessities for ourselves.  All of these things are constantly nagging at our minds, day in and day out.

So, if we have our life's treasure here on earth, then we will constantly be worrying about it.  If we start to imagine spiritual treasures in heaven, our minds will be concerned with that.

But this message extends so much further than just material worth.  We have many things that are pulling us in so many different directions.  We concern ourselves with our careers, our families, our friends, our health, our spirituality, and many other things.  And, each one of those things is taking us away from another.  If we take Paul's example of living life as running a race, there is a prize at the end of each race.  We are usually running many races at the same time.  Now, I don't know about you, but I have enough trouble running for three miles, let alone a half-marathon or any other race.  Imagine how difficult it would be to have to run multiple races at the same time, taking one step forward, another to the left, then a leap to the right, and then forward again, and then turning towards another and running for quite a distance.  That would be ridiculous!

And that's what we need to remember when we are trying to organize our life.  When we run towards God, towards heaven, towards the Kingdom, we will find our lives just that much easier to live.  The things that we feel are prizes - our job, our money, our house - are just aids on the way, those little snacks that your sponsors - the Trinity - provide as you make it to the end.  Yes, the race will be long and difficult, but we have the hands of God providing for us when we feel that we can't run any farther.

Day 082: Devotion to Faith

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12:1-2

This author makes it sound so easy.

Many times, we can encounter things in our lives that "look easy on paper," and we accept that they are only easy in theory.  Yet, when I think back at these things, I realize that we prefer to turn away the minimum amount of effort required and, instead, opt to put in no effort.  In the same way, I feel many of us approach the Gospel.  Jesus calls us to follow him, but we have so many things that are holding us back.

In order to train for endurance running, or even just in efforts to lose more weight while running/walking, one can put on a weighted jacket, usually around 20-30 pounds of weight.  If anyone who is reading this has ever had to carry around a backpack for high school or college (or if you have yet to break such a habit), you know that carrying around so much extra weight will slow you down.  It also makes you sweat, and in Houston, that can be quite miserable (although, when I was in Chicago, sweating in the dead of winter under layers of coats is even worse, since you walk straight from the cold into heat, causing even more sweat).  I have tried many times to lighten my load in my backpack, but it always seems to creep back up with the amount of books I like carrying around.

But, the thing is, we are already running the race.  This isn't the race that you compete against one another.  This is a marathon.  This is a race against yourself.  The good thing, though, is that we already have all the equipment/assistance we need.  In this race, we are already running; therefore, we have no need for the extra baggage of sin to hold us down.  In this race, we have the one goal of running to Jesus, and when we look at him before us, we find that we can endure all that comes in our way.

Sin, indeed, is a baggage.  When we give into temptation, we waste our time.  We degrade ourselves from all the work that we had put into bettering ourselves.  When we lie, we only lie to ourselves, forcing us to believe the stories we are making up so that we can convince others.  When we envy others, we waste our time burning up in hate rather than building ourselves up.  Sin slows us down.

So, look to Jesus.  Read the Gospel.  Listen to his voice when you pray.  Feel his presence in church.  Be a part of his body when you commune.  During this Holy Week, remember that we are all looking towards Jesus, who leads us through all the worst suffering to the greatest redemption.