Refocusing

    As I was reading about false teachings in 2 Peter this morning, my head jolted up from my Bible, my eyes narrowed and I thought to myself "we have to do something about this!"
    'Doing something' isn't exactly Peter's angle here, but the combination of reading the intense warnings in his first letter and us watching a lot of superhero movies since the Avenger's came out, my mind moved in that direction. Actually, it raced. I felt like my perspective zoomed out and I saw our lives, our marriage actually, from a different view. Satan's view. Matt and I are in an incredibly blessed season of life right now. We are spending our first year of marriage living two blocks from the beach in southern California, we are part of a church plant full of wonderful, loving people who quickly became family and Matt just got a promotion at work that eased our financial stress. We have been spending a lot of time thanking God for where he has us right now. Like any other season of life, we are aware that it is temporary and are trying to enjoy every minute of it.

But there are days when I wonder if this is truly a gift from God. Matt's life is marked with sorrow, suffering and loss. Could God be blessing him with a time of joy, rest and ease? Yes. But this time could easily, easily be an attack from Satan. I don't quickly blame mistakes, hardships or trouble on Satan. I think that we are more than capable of sinning and messing things up on our own. However, I am not naive to his capabilities and the power he holds. Peter warns us that Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, ready to devour us. And Satan is sneaky. Tricky. The Deceiver. So sometimes I wonder if the last few months are an extended honeymoon or a snare that our feet are caught in. If there's one thing I've noticed since I've moved to California, it's that Satan can use ease and comfort almost more than he can use trials.When life is hard, when sleep is short and emotions are tangled, I pull myself closer to Jesus like a child shielding themselves from the wind on the beach. But when the sun is shining, the work week is short and money is comfortable, it's easier to let go, to play freely. Still near Jesus, still delighting in him, but distracted.

Whether this time is a precious gift from God, the calm before the storm or an evil trick to distract us, the answer is all the same:

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

Heaven

When I imagine heaven, I imagine white, upper class adults worshiping God freely and eternally. My Americanized and unintentionally arrogant mind doesn't picture believers of all ages, sizes, races or demographics.

I think of the doctors, classmates, friends, teachers or family members in my life that I know will be there one day. I don't think of the orphaned children my sister ministers to in Kenya. I don't think of the marginalized people of Ventura county picking strawberries in the field. I don't think of the people in Muslim countries losing their lives for choosing the gospel. I just don't.

But today, singing and praising God outside the Rescue Mission in Oxnard, California with the members of "Church in the Alley", my image of heaven expanded. The people I was surrounded by, some homeless, some not, have experienced God's love so differently than I have. They know God's provision more intimately, ironically. It doesn't matter what I imagine heaven to be like. The forgotten, the marginalized and the suffering "are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".

My life revolves around a God who favors the poor in spirit, and is unimaginably gracious with me when I don't.