Look at me, back again already, whaaaaat??!! In comparison to the last 6 months, not much has transpired in the last 6 days. :) Today Jake and I went to church somewhere different than the norm. I L-O-V-E-D it! We've been going to a small local church, where everyone knows everyone and the music and sermons are SUPER traditional. Jake liked going there, but neither of us were getting much from the service which was disappointing.
I've been suggesting this new place for a while but my stubborn hubby takes months to convince. Surprisingly, this morning it was HIS idea so I was pretty pumped! This church has much more contemporary music, and you're not standing the ENTIRE time. (I know, that's SO lazy of me!) Most importantly, the message was SO much better received and really resonated with us! I love when Jake and I can discuss the sermon afterwards and how we can apply the teachings to our everyday life. It keeps us on track in a sense! Jake enjoyed the WHOLE thing quite as much as I did; Since it's a campus you watch the message on projection screens. The service is longer as well, about an hour and a half. Both make no difference to me, but were unexpected to him -- though not necessarily bad. Today's message was about worldly goods and what our focus SHOULD be in life - which really spoke to both Jake and I as it's something we tend to struggle with. We've got more material things than we've ever had before - though it is the result of hard work. I really feel that we lead good honest Christian lives, but I also sometimes feel conflicted about this issue specifically. Work has been so good, and it's easy to want to work my life away to make more and more money. I imagine growing our family's monetary wealth so we and our children can have whatever we want, but then I think that's wrong. Should we be making just enough to get by? Should we stop rewarding ourselves with nice? I get so caught up thinking: "I want to be RICH one day" but I need to remember that I already AM rich: I'm married to an amazing man that supports and encourages me. He loves me unconditionally and is absolutely my rock and partner in life. We've got our health and our family's health. We are surrounded by friends whom enrich our lives. We have not only a roof over our head but a BEAUTIFUL home. We've got way more than we NEED or deserve; when so many don't. Most importantly: WE HAVE JESUS! My goal going forward is to keep my focus where it should be and to find a good balance. I don't want material things to define my existence or to be my purpose. Money comes and goes, and quite frankly it won't matter in the end. "Live in the world, but don't let the world live in you." That doesn't mean I want to quit my job or stop moving forward with it's growth/expansion. It doesn't mean we won't treat ourselves to nice things sometimes. We just need to make sure that we continue to give back (doesn't giving always feel better anyway?) and keep our eyes on the REAL PRIZE.
I'm so thankful for today's message - it was needed and received!
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