Wednesday, March 16

Deuteronomy 9:13-21

Psalms 49, 53, 119:49-72

Hebrews 3:12-19

John 2:23-3:15

Lent is a time when we are reminded in so many different ways that Earthly possessions are so trivial in the grand scheme of things…that our true treasure lies not in the wealth we accumulate as we travel through life, but instead in the relationships we build as we journey. Our relationships with God, with Jesus, with each other…it’s these that are precious and on which we should put our focus.

I was struck recently by a story I heard during a high school mom’s meeting I attended about a young man who had recently moved into his first apartment. His mother, upon visiting, was shocked at how scarce his surroundings were. She worried that he didn’t have enough, that he was unhappy in his rather barren home. She dragged him on a shopping spree and when they returned, she buzzed around setting out all the new things she had purchased for her son to make his apartment more comfortable. When she finished, she asked him if he liked the results. He replied that he did, and that he was grateful, but that in truth he really didn’t want all of the things she had bought for him. She couldn’t understand why and he simply said, “I don’t want to have to have things to be happy. I’m happy already.” His mother was both stunned and impressed at the same time by his wisdom.

So often, particularly as we get older, we get caught up in acquiring more “stuff” and some even believe that doing so will fill a void and bring contentment. The simple joy that we experience as children in “just being” is forgotten as life becomes filled with the greater demands that adulthood brings. But as Psalm 49 reminds us, let us always, and most especially during this Lenten season remember that we will take nothing with us when we die. Let’s therefore not worry so much about having the right “stuff,” about filling our homes, our lives, with the latest, greatest this and that. Instead, let’s be concerned with filling our hearts and souls with true treasure…the pure joy that comes from drawing close to God and being an instrument of his peace in all that you do.

Dear God,

I pray that you will walk with me and prepare my heart during this very special season. Fill me with a sense of calm and a desire for simplicity so that the distractions of a busy world melt away and I’m left with your peace.

Amen

Beth McGee