Apart From Me…(and my Stuff)
August 9, 2013
I love analogies. Love them. Ask me the difference between a metaphor and a simile and I will have to phone a friend, but I can come up with an analogy for just about any given situation. My son often asks me, “How do you DO that?” I have no idea – it’s just the way my brain works.
Some analogies are better than others and some analogies are more effective for certain audiences. For example, here’s my latest sports analogy since we moved across the country again. For me the “end-game” was getting my 12 year old daughter started in junior high school. Before that could happen, we had 4000 miles to travel, numerous trips to make here and there, and we had to set up a temporary home. The day I dropped her off and watched her walk in the door of the school, I thought, “Eight ball – corner pocket”. I don’t even play pool but I know in the game of “Eight Ball” you very methodically shoot all the other balls – stripes and solids – and leave the eight ball until the very end. Game over. Rack ‘em up and start a new game.
So here’s my disclaimer: today’s analogy is not one of my best and it’s still related to my move. I promise to get some new material soon but this is just where I am right now. It begins with a rather unspiritual confession.
“I miss my stuff!”
There I said it. I miss all my stuff. Since June 19, all my worldly possessions have been in boxes in a storage facility somewhere in the US. Yes, this is a first world problem. Yes, I can go buy more stuff and I have, but I miss MY stuff. How “consumer-istic” of me! How “un-Christian” to admit my belongings in the world offer me comfort and joy. But it’s true and here’s a partial reason why: I want and need to do things and I am not equipped to do them.
Sew on a button? No sewing kit.
Check a tax ID form? No filing cabinet.
Wrap a birthday gift? No paper, no tape, no bow. (ok – for those of you out there who know me, you can stop laughing now because I don’t have to be in temporary housing to use that excuse. But still…)
Fix a small household problem? No hammer. No screwdriver.
Don’t even ask me about cooking – for some reason I have two vegetable peelers but no measuring cups.
I do have my Bible. That’s always good and helpful. My Scripture reading this morning was from John 15 – one of the greatest and most powerful images portrayed in a teaching from Jesus.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “ John 15:5
Right now I am apart from all the stuff I need to do a lot of common everyday activities. (I think my husband is missing his golf clubs more than anything!)
So, it made me think about what I can do “apart” from Jesus. The answer is pretty clear: Nothing. I must abide in Him to receive the full benefit of His blessings, His strength, and the power of the Holy Spirit whom He sent to help me.
When I’m struggling to perform a task or keep my focus, I need to ask myself. Where’s Jesus right now to me? Where am I right now in relationship to Him? Unlike all my possessions in a crate somewhere out there, He is always near. (ct)
“…be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”” Hebrews 13:5