How do we see it..?

final. Enough Series

To be able to say 'enough' is akin to being able to say 'It is well with my soul'

'I am content'

'I am blessed'

 And it is hard, so hard - until - I have a solid place to stand & can look at shifting sands without feeling unsteady. When we walk the trails and tread upon shallow riverbeds, inviting as they are; we look for solid footholds like rocks because the sands can shift.

and the weather can turn.

"the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundations on the rock" {matthew 7v25}

Living in a world that strives and cannot but pursue this posture; it takes heart and sinew to cry out 'enough!'. From the way our world runs, there is no end point, no destination, just a continual grind. More, more, more.

Saying 'enough' requires a rock-solid standpoint that makes one stop, enjoy the view, gasp at the grandeur of life, hear the music of joy - refusing to confuse that with the continual hum of 'more'; all that white noise in our air.

This, i realized requires we develop a way of seeing our world, and ourselves.

What is life about?

The Chinese stoically report on the inevtiable cycle: 生，老， 病， 死: birth-age-sickness-death.

Layer upon this our human penchant for pleasure and pain avoidance, we get a formula that is all about maximising gains and minimising losses; which shows up in how we use things, people, and more... In the end, this utilitarian appraoch that seeks to glean the most backfires upon us as it dehumanises us all and devalues Life.

Other worldviews are close cousins: accept your fate and chug along, do minimum harm (to self first, then others), don't create trouble and don't be a burden....

Who are we?

The way we see Life and our world touches a close nerve: how we see ourselves and others. Inevitably, we are trapped as human Do-ings instead of Human Be-ings. So the treadmill goes on and we run on... too tired to consider that another way may exist. We can get off and stand on the Rock.

"See..I lay in Zion a stone...a rock..and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame" {romans 9v33}

Many years ago, I climbed clumsily upon this rock. As a little girl, i wanted to place to stand a little higher so i can see. a safe place than what i had.

Thirty years later, i stand in this spot still (though there were times i have gotten off it a little and explored around) and the rock has started to pour its solidity and strength into me. I used to battle with my mind and feelings about so many things I wanted: the shiny sports car, the hunk, the dream job, that splendid job... 

but as i stood upon that Rock, my view clarified and i see differently. 

I just noticed it:

My pay has never gone passed a certain mark (even new graduates would find laughable)
I carry the same handbag from 12 years ago (I have a few)

because - it is enough. The world is not for me to pillage for my selfish pleasure. it was for me to learn stewardship and discover grandeur, beauty, design, glory. My life is not about proving my worth or marking my place on terra firma  but about being the gift God made me to be for His world. All under-girded by Grace. So the one thing I want more of really, is more Grace.