I remember the day I (Crystal) took almost all of my worldly
possessions to the thrift store. My family still refers to it as the “great
purge.” It was great! I could fit
everything else I owned in my car… plus passengers! At that time, I was in my
first year of college. Although I had known God “my whole life” there was a
fresh hunger that rose up in me so seek him more intentionally and I began to
spend more time in his presence – devouring his word and praying. I also began to form some new
friendships with people that had more radical outward expressions of their
faith. We would read about past
mystics and desert fathers who rid themselves of all their worldly possessions,
moved out to the desert, sought the face of God and came back full of the
spirit. If it worked for them, it
should work for me, right? I also shaved my head and destroyed all of my make
up; just to be sure that vanity would not be a distraction! Of course, I don’t think everyone needs
to do these things, and I don’t even believe the Lord required it of me, but it
was my simple expression of devotion to the Lord and I think it probably put a
smile on His face. Mostly because He
saw my heart and my desire for Him through these actions. The not
so good part of this season was the judgements that can creep in of others in
regards to how they handle material things. I remember at one point a friend of mine could not figure
out how a fellow peer (who was a worship leader and devoted Christian) could
really love the Lord and have such a nice car!
Fast forward several years and I was in Mozambique, Africa
living on a very crowded missions base.
I was living in a simple dorm room with about 35 other women. We were surrounded by dirt &
poverty. I had been there several
days when I caught wind of a rumor that there was internet access down the road
at the “Pemba Beach Hotel”. It
didn’t take long before I made my way down the road to check it out! I arrived
and what I saw took my breath away.
Marble pillars, water fountains, clear pools overflowing into the ocean,
beautiful gardens… only this time instead of responding in anger that someone
could spend so much money on a 5 star hotel in the midst of a poor community, I
was overcome by the beauty of it all! I walked in and literally began to weep!
I felt the Holy Spirit washing over me and refreshing me in deep ways- just by
what my eyes were beholding. Then,
He began to speak to me about how He is a God of beauty! He cared about the
details of how the temple was made in the Old Testament, and as you know it was
no cheaply made structure! He has also created a place for us that would put
any 5 star Hotel to shame with its streets of gold and pearl gates! I began to realize that God is in
simplicity and God is in extravagant beauty and even nice things! What matters
the most is what is in our hearts… are we simply enjoying what God has blessed
us with or is our “desire to acquire” distracting us from the things that are
most important in life (God and people!) Do we possess things or do they
possess us? I still prefer to keep my life pretty simple and I do purge
or fast from things from time to time to regain focus but it’s refreshing to
know that my appreciation for beauty and quality is God given and not something
I have to fight or do away with.
As I look around at God’s creation I’m certainly thankful that He made
the world and not the ascetics that I studied in college! So while I keep the
kingdom first, loving God and those around me, I will enjoy the “good things”
that He has given me without apology.
And I will remember that the only treasures really worth
pursuing, and the only ones I can “store” are in heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves
cannot break in and steal. And that
is where my heart is…
