I am a self proclaimed pack rat and shopaholic. I love my stuff. Accumulating, buying, storing, organizing and possessing THINGS makes me happy. Retail therapy has been my age old coping mechanism for years. So what is a greedy girl to do when faced with downsizing? I have been painfully purging my house of my precious STUFF for the last few months to prepare for this move to Uganda.
Ironically during the last few months I have been engaged in a bible study by Beth Moore on the book of Daniel. This is my second time studying this particular book so I didn't give it much thought at first. However in the last few weeks it has become clear to me that God wanted me to be immersed in the life of Daniel for good reason. I cannot claim any major parallels between myself and Daniel of the bible but I do have much to learn from him.
Babylon was the epic city of beauty, wealth, gross overindulgence, lavish excess and power. It lured and enticed many to destruction. Babylon offered every pleasure and entertainment of the day. And Daniel, a young hebrew exile, is thrown into the midst of it in his virile teen years. The temptations he must have faced daily had to have been staggering. We know he was good looking, healthy and smart. All the more reason for him to use those things to his advantage. But we also know he maintained an amazing faithfulness to God. He never compromised, over indulged, joined in the party or hoarded wealth. He lived in obedience to God all of his days and was blessed beyond measure.
So how does that pertain to me? In my own little Babylon I am constantly enticed by shopping sprees and the desire to accumulate. Babylon is a state of mind or heart rather. I too am an exile of sorts on earth until I am freed by Jesus's return. I, like Daniel, have choices to make regarding integrity and faithfulness to God. I can choose, and have more times than I'd like to admit, to give into our culture and try to satisfy my urges for MORE. Or I can say to the things that lure and entice me, "Yes you are pretty things and I'd love to own you but you are worthless in light of eternity." Simple right?
I admit that parting with all these "towers of treasures" I've amassed over the years was painful at first. But with each box that leaves my house I feel a little lighter. I loosen my grip on the temporal and reach for the eternal satisfaction that Jesus offers. I mean come on...when did Jesus ever mourn over giving away his first swaddling cloth? Or his first woodworking tool? Did he become emotionally attatched to the sandals he walked the earth in? I doubt it. He was free from the clutches of STUFF. And I long to be also.
I'm not so foolish to think that I am cured of my shopping tendencies. As I write this I am eyeing a coupon for Old Navy sales. I am sure I can find something else to accumluate in Uganda. But my hope is that as I lessen my load of THINGS I will desire them less and less. Babylon is our world. It beckons and calls with promises of joy but delivers nothing but more cares.
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