The title is a little cliche and is used in multiple senarios where compromising is in question- is it possible?
Can you actually have your cake and eat it, too?
So what situation/thought/senario am I talking about??
Riches.
Wealth.
Comfort.
These words are not foreign to our vocabulary and might evoke visual images– images of the American dream, suburbs, six digit paychecks, ect. However, these words/images are only one-sided. What about the other side? the other side that is far less explored by myself and most people I know.
Supernatural riches.
Spiritual wealth.
Divine comfort.
Which would you rather have? and can you have both? Hence the title, hence the internal conflict rolling around inside of me.
You see, one thing that attracts me most to the World Race is the fact that my worldly view of riches, wealth, and comfort are forced to fade away (I am not going to be able to call my dad whenever a problem arises, Starbucks coffee will be a far off dream, I will not have access to a medicine cabinet to aid every discomfort). Which leaves me with the opportunity to begin to see the other side, the other point of view.
I'm afraid I'm doing a not-so-hot job of explaining what I am trying to saying…
Let me attempt to elaborate.
Through my previous traveling and mission experiences, I've been exposed to "the other" point of view. Being in the slums of South Africa, I found myself in a Swahili church made up of about 30 Afrikans of all ages. Dirty floors. Cement block walls. No equipment. No lights. But their smiles lit up the place. Full of joy, warmth, and love. Anyone from back home would have walked into that room and frowned with sadness due to its condition. However, sadness was far from an accurate description of what that Holy, sacred gathering place possessed.
As the worship began and heavenly melodies filled my ear, I watched in awe. In awe of the joy that ran from a source deep within their souls. This joy overflowed from their hearts and out of their eyes through tears. Gladness. Thankfulness. Love. These emotions saturated the air of that church with their sweet aromas. As I gazed across the room, my heart spun into questioning and seeking…… something? because I saw that those sweet, Jesus loving people possessed something I was without. And I wanted it.
Can you believe that? These people who lived off nothing, had something that I lacked.
The more I sought, the more I began to understand. I began to understand that THESE people were RICH, they were WEALTHY, they were SECURE and consumed with COMFORT.
Because of their painful awareness of their utter desperation for Christ, Christ was real, Christ was magnified in their lives; He was everything. (John 3:30)
Those people woke up every morning and hit their knees with their faces firmly pressed into the dirt foundation of their "homes" and said with every fiber of their being "JESUS you are ALL that I need!!!"
and He provided.
Okay, let's get something straight really quickly. When I say that statement, it holds little weight. I have every human resource imaginable at my finger tips. And what I mean by that is, food has always been on my meal plates, I've always had a bed to sleep in, I've always had gas in my car, I've always been able to buy those back to school clothes. Basically I have it made. I am "rich". I am wealthy. I am surrounded with worldly comfort. And it is easy for me to lose sight of my Provider from whom all blessings flow. It's easy for me to go through a day without thinking about the Lord, if I am being honest.
Not these people. They pray for food. They pray for shelter. They pray for healing when sickness creeps in. These people focus on Jesus every second of everyday. Because of that, their faith greater than the size of a mustardseed. They are RICH in FAITH!!!!! Jesus is so real, so tangible, so sweet, so present. And all they want is His presence.
So the way I see it.. I am rich, wealthy, and comfortable in the world's eyes. Which has aided in my cripple, weak, and untested faith. However, how much sweeter and greater and satisfying would it be to be rich in faith, rich in love from the Father, rich in comfort- genuinely knowing your life is in the hands in the Maker of Heaven. I want to be rich in Faith! That kind of wealth can't be contained within the timeline of this decaying world. It will last for eternity. Now that's what I'm talking about!!
Bring on the World Race! where I'll be forced to go directly to my Heavenly Father (not dad), depend on Him for energy (not Starbucks), call on Him for healing (not Advil) resulting in a growth of faith bringing me to a postion where I can truly, genuinely, authentically, legitimately say, "Jesus, You're all I need."
So there you have it. My measly attempt to properly portray this "can you have your cake and eat it too" senario.
Which would you rather have? and can you have both? I would love to hear your thoughts.
