Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Snuggles to Remember

My baby got sick and he needed some major snuggling and cuddling. Although I am not glad he was sick, I am VERY glad that I was able to nuzzle up with my baby for memories like these.

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I just love this little babe, plain and simple, and could spend a million years doing just that.

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Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have my "freedom" back.. i.e. to sleep however long I wanted, to go anywhere I wanted - whenever I wanted to. To not have lost my figure for 9 months and then spend another 7 trying to fit back in to my clothes...

Thankfully this little face...


and the truth of God's word are helping me with something... Covetousness.

Ever heard of it? You know its definition is this: jealously eager for the possession of something. Yeah, I know - yuck. But it is real, and maybe more real for you as well, when you think about it. That was certainly the case for me on Sunday when one of our pastors spoke on the Rich Fool from Luke 12:13-21. The sermon series is on Generous Living, which totally excites me.. and for that reason I was not expecting to be shaken so hard. For the most part (although I will always need growth here) I love to give... I love to hand stuff over. But what is so great about the parables Jesus tells, is that they have SO many layers, and they expose you. See, this text reads of a man attached to his possessions but even more so the heart of covetousness that it stems from that can show up in every dimension of our lives. I am so thankful for the things God exposed to me through our pastor's message.. so please give me no credit for this stuff (if you would even think of doing such a crazy thing, hehe) -instead, hear it all for yourself HERE.

Allow me to share how I was helped:

For me, covetousness can show up in sporadic times of laziness or selfishness. Sometimes I just wanna be able to sleep whenever I want... take a nap, read a book, go shopping, go to the gym and not have to plan the care for my babe. Sometimes I just don't want to serve my baby..

I know, right? He is so cute. How could I be like that? Well....ugh.. its because I gotta sin issue and although I would not like to be forever remembered a long side the Rich Fool - on Sunday I was seeing myself in the text..

How could I refer to it as "my freedom," "my figure," "my time"?? The use of "my" is exposing the truth of the matter.... when I am coveting time, I am believing that time belongs to me in the first place. When I am coveting freedom, I am believing that freedom is what makes me happy. When I am coveting my old bikini body, then its my figure that I am living for.

God: "MISHA! Store up treasures in heaven!"

Thank God for the gift of my baby, that through this season of life the Lord has not allowed me to stay peacefully soaking in the trash of such covetousness, comfortably, any longer!

Do I like talking about this? No. Do I like spelling out in black and white that I have found myself "living for" my figure? Um, noooooo. I hate saying that I covet sleep and sometimes wish I could run away from responsibility for a few hours, just to serve my selfishness. It is disgusting. Embarrassing. That is what sin is: gross. So why do I share? Because having a blog is not for being perfect. Because being a Christian is not for the perfect. It is to be transform by The Perfect: Christ. He owns my time, my freedom, my figure.

As Tab helpfully phrased,
"All you have is His, by creation and redemption: purchased by his blood. He owns you and your stuff."

Listen to the message HERE. I highly recommend it.
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So, how did a post entitled "Snuggles to Remember" go from cute pics to covetousness? I dunno, but that is basically how I write my posts - free handed with no script :)

LOVE



7 comments:

  1. Excellent post, Misha and wonderful sermon application. Praising God with you for opening the eyes of your heart to true things on Sunday morning. Isn't it so hard to look at sin for what it really is? You describe it so well here and I can relate an many accounts. Thanks for humbly admitting your sin. Praying for fresh grace today for you.

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  2. Thanks for sharing this, Misha. (P.S. Love the new blog look!)

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  3. misha,

    i have visited your blog a few times and have always enjoyed it. but this time you rocked my boat. it's like what you shared here today was written JUST FOR ME.

    i can so relate to making an idol out of MY time, or out of wanting my prebaby body back (i've almost given up on that one....after 5 kids, this tummy is fighting me!!). i'm SO about wanting MY OWN WAY.

    i missed church last week and after reading this, i can't wait to listen to this message. thank you for allowing God to use you to speak Truth to my heart...

    by the way, i love your blog.....

    patty

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  4. Excellent post! And, I love what you've done with your blog. Nice creative touch!

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  5. Thanks Ladies. Patty, great to hear from you :) I am thankful that God chose to use my eye opening, heart exposing moment to nudge you along too. He is so cool like that - ya know!? Let me know how you like the sermon.

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  6. Thanks Misha for this post. I am with in in that I love to give to the poor or gospel work, but I covet feeling well so much right now, and I want to have the body I once had. I found a lot of peace when I was just being healthy for God and not my pants size. God helped me to honor him with my body when that was my goal. I enjoy your blog, thanks for writing! ~April H

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  7. April, I agree with the peace you feel when living healthy as a means to honor God. It is something that I really need God's help with. I can imagine the temptation to covet wellness and I'm sure it's hard to remember the precious life that is forming inside you. Thankfully there is an end in sight! Thanks for commenting, it sure is fun to see you reads :) it's like a little community here! See you at church.

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