So Jesus is the Teacher, and as the Teacher there should be some lessons that I’m learning from Him.
Every day there are lessons to learn … but I’m not always aware of them. After a certain period of time, though, I do become aware of some lessons to be learnt over that time. For example when we consider the end of the year, that is always a prime time to think about the lessons to learn.
One of those lessons for me in 2010 is to get an even better perspective on the things that matter.
I realise that there are quite a number of things in which I place a large amount of importance. It takes up my thinking time, my doing time, my speaking time, my thinking energy, my doing energy … you get the drift. When you’re in a financial recession it’s a good time to take stock of what you use your money for and then you think of things on which to cut back. Sometimes, without appreciating it, something similar happens when the recession is not about the finances, but it is about other things that matter. When pressing issues demand your time and attention, you have to begin to look at how you use your time and energy and make the necessary cut backs.
That happened quite a lot for me in the last year and in the midst of all the adjustments for perfectly legitimate reasons, one outstanding sentiment came through. Some things just don’t matter. Some of those deals that took up so much time and energy were just not worth the hassle. They may have been important at the time, but in the larger scale of things … nah, they are not worth it. They don’t matter at all.
I thought blogging mattered – and to an extent, for the writing deal it does. But then … for about three months this year I had to do without it especially because I didn’t have a personal laptop. Now when you lose the source of your creative outlet, that is sometimes a reason to get bitter. Then when you think about … nah, it’s good, but not worth that hassle.
When we moved from Little Hulton to Bletchley a whole lot of stuff was destroyed – material that cost some significant pounds and had real significant personal value. So I should be bitter and mourn over it. Yet … after some soul searching conversations with Jesus, He asked me about eternity and I agreed that all of those things that went would not have made it anyway.
For a month I was out of work and that was serious pressure on the family and myself – I don’t have that huge bank account that can bail me out. So things were tight at that time … and yet there again. The same question came to mind – does my peace depend on me always occupying a great paying job? Does that really matter?
And on it went from certain relationships, to certain pastimes to certain possessions to certain habits. They would be removed for a time and Jesus would ask again – does that really matter?
In all of that I am more grateful for those things I take for granted, and also I’m only too aware that certain things that I held onto dearly in the larger scale of things don’t matter at all.
Indeed discipleship with Jesus about death and suffering is due to realising that when you have nothing left but Jesus, you have all you ever need. That is not an advert for asceticism and saying having material goods are a bad thing. I think that approach is no guarantee for attaining a decent relationship with Jesus Christ.
Which brings us back to the whole point of Jesus being a Teacher. We learn not just by repeating information He passes on. We learn when His life becomes our own however that is manifest in our context. That sees a conviction to do nothing other than what we see our Father doing and being concerned about nothing other than what the Kingdom is concerned about.
Because everything else – doesn’t really matter.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 