"UnReal" | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: "UnReal" | Previous Challenge Entry
By Cindy Solfest-Wallis
08/16/16
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“It already has a small scratch, so we don’t have to worry,” my husband said, referring to our new car.

Neither of us wanted to purchase a new car, but our old workhorse with 230,000 miles begged to differ.

I have to admit that even though I simply want a vehicle that works and gets us where we’re going, I do enjoy the bells and whistles this new car offers. I even found myself reminding my husband to “be careful where he parks” when we went to the grocery store! Imagine that!

Why is it that the “things of this world”, the unnatural, pervade our thoughts and our desires all too often? A new item, whatever it may be, becomes our prized possession.

God blesses us with everything we need (and with a lot of the things we want, as well!), and we cherish those unnatural things of this world more than we cherish our time with Him.

I grew up on a dairy farm. We had the best milk possible - straight from the cow! There was nothing artificial, skim or fat free about it. We grew most of our own food. It was delicious, but oh, how I hated gardening! I didn’t appreciate the value of the wholesome produce.

My mother made many of my clothes, as well. Sadly, sometimes I was ashamed to be seen in one of her creations, rather than the clothes my friends’ parents had purchased from the latest catalogs.

My perspective has certainly changed! I would trade so many of my man-made treasures to be back there, to drink the water from the well - I’ve never tasted any better!

As I reflect, I recognize that those times in which I allow myself to be swept away by the pleasures of material things are the times when I feel most hollow, most empty inside. My actions and thoughts seem superficial. Taking care of my possessions takes too much of my energy. In short, they draw me further away from my Heavenly Father.

In those moments, I need to stop and pray, thanking God for these blessings and for allowing me to be a wise steward. But, mostly thanking Him for His spirit dwelling within me, keeping me grounded and reminding me that looking forward to spending eternity with Him is the most “natural” realization there is.

And, so, I won’t be holding my breath or keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that our car doesn’t get dinged or scratched. It may happen, sooner than I’d like. But, it’s only a material possession, a treasure on earth. I know that my greatest treasure in is heaven!

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