It's all broken and a mess and we need to be doing more. That was the gist of my last post, and my goodness I feel it even more since then. But even as I was writing it, I knew there was an "on the other hand..." coming. My Sunday School gals and I have been reading Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequest this summer, and the whole book is full of the most vivid and beautiful descriptions of life. Of good food and good friends. Candles and clinking glasses around a table. Laughter and tears shed with those we love. And I'm reminded that while the pursuit of material things is vanity, God does give us good gifts, and I believe he wants us to enjoy them. One of my favorite quotes from another one of Shauna's books ends with "...and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift." Yes. I DO love and appreciate this life. At the end of the day, I love praying with my little girl because we pray silly things like "thank you for ice cream" and "thank you for Sesame Street", and although I know that those things don't make a meaningful life, they certainly make the journey a little more enjoyable. Am I willing to lay my life down for Christ? Yes. Am I willing to make sacrifices so that I can be generous? I hope so. But I also don't think we are called to a solemn-faced existence of sackcloth and ashes.
I often think about how God gave us all the tools and ingredients we would need to make things. Things like computers, bread, clothes, coffee, lightbulbs, cake. Cake is a big one. :) We serve a really creative God, and we are created in His image. Joy absolutely comes from knowing and serving God, but it can also come from music, art, food, friendship, and any number of other things.
When I get together with my best girlfriends for a weekend filled with oreo balls and wine, gut-busting laughter and philosophical conversation, I don't think I need to feel guilty for the time and money I could have spent serving others. I know that God has placed these women in my life to challenge, encourage, uphold, and entertain me. When I take my children to the museum or the ice cream shop, I won't (always) grieve the $10 I could have sent to Cambodia. I know that we are making memories and enjoying their childhood and bonding as a family, and those things are important too. There has to be balance, and we each have to find our own. The good news is, when we constantly seek the Lord's input on how we spend our time and money, we will find balance. We will find ways to serve and we will find ways to enjoy. And many times they will happen all at once!
