The Clutter

My goal in life is "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Philippians 3:10).

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life:
'Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox


I am learning a lot about the Bible and the theology and ethics of the Bible, but am also learning about all the different views, many of them in conflict. I find myself debating issues that I am suddenly unsure about. I even find myself getting offended and offending others. I think back to my time in Peru this past summer - the simplicity I experienced there was amazing. I had so much time in the morning to simply read and meditate upon God's Word. The silence and solitude of those times... that is where I want to be. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I have the opportunity to learn more about theology, ethics, the Bible, history, etc... but I still long to "unclutter" my life, to simplify it, to have faith like a child. In So, You Want to Be Like Christ, Charles R. Swindoll said it best, "The message of Christianity is quickly becoming a system of enlightened thinking instead of a simple call to turn from sin and pursue a relationship with God. The desire for greater theological knowledge (as good as that is) has supplanted the simple call to know Him intimately...in the power of His resurrection and in sharing His suffering." Of course, it is all good and well and fine to learn about theology, but this should not replace the simple call we have to know God intimately. At times, at least for me, I feel like it does. Swindoll continues, "The simple message that Jesus proclaimed doesn't require a giant theological intellect in order to receive it and implement it." It is important to read and study God's Word, however.

It is a problem for us here in the United States, and others elsewhere, to live cluttered, complicated lives. Will our simple devotion to Christ be lost among the clutter? Will our time with Christ be replaced by trivial distractions that are meaningless? It sometimes seems so hard to find time to spend with God. "Too much clutter in your mind leaves insufficient room for devotion to Christ" (Swindoll). As Psalm 119 says, I long to store up God's Word in my heart(11), meditate on it(15), and delight in it(16).

Pray that, as I seek to be like Christ, that I would take time to live in simplicity and submission to the will of God. Pray that I set my priorities straight in this busy North American lifestyle, and that I would put God's will above my own and others'. I pray the same for all of you.

Referring to the poem above, Charles R. Swindoll asks the following:
Where is your ship going? Is it blown here and there by the shifting winds of complication? Is anyone at the helm? Are you reacting to the needs of the immediate or ordering your priorities to enjoy deeper devotion to Christ?

In His Grace,
Rachel Joy