sow. invest. obsess. etc.

The pastor today at my church talked about how in the Bible so often you hear the words "sow," and, "harvest," and the truth is most of us aren't farmers, and to relate better to these analogies the words, "invest," and, "results," might be easier to relate to.

That's not what I'm writing about though.

I need 20-25 students (piano students) to be financially stable. I have 9. It's easy for me to get really anxious and to start obsessing over my finances, over what I can do to rake in money, etc.

Soon, my whole brain is CONSUMED with the deception that the MOST IMPORTANT thing is MONEY!

He keeps asking me (God) what's more important, HIM or money, and I know it's him, and I've tried surrendering all this...BUT IT'S SO HARD in our culture, when we're raised thinking the most important thing is to be financially stable. We're even encouraged to pursue stable jobs and put aside our dreams so that we can be financially stable. To afford a huge house, to buy a nice car, to put our kids through college so they can do the same thing.

"It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own wall all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time we've been warned. If we use our freedom this way, we won't inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Legalism is helpless in bring this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good - crucified.

Since this is the kid of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare for ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us in an original."

Galatians 5:19-26

All in favor say, AYE!