Each human in one way or another measures his or her life in a way suitable to their own value system. For some it is success in money or career, volunteer work, or ministries. For others it is relationships, or their personal knowledge or spirituality. But no matter what it is, it is a part of all of us. The problem is, what happens when that one thing that you put your personal value in is no longer a part of your life? Recently I have noticed just what extent this underlying measuring system of mine truly influences me.
Spencer and I spent a week with our dear friend Rollo in London meeting his friends and family, worshiping in the living room and reminiscing Mozambique. We then moved to the other side of the city to join our friends Dan and Lisa for the week. Dan and Lisa are a part of a large church and they dedicate almost every day of their week to church events, small groups, services, and tons of just hanging out and Spence and I loved joining in on the craziness. Lisa, my very good friend and housemate from Mozambique is what I proclaimed to Spencer as my “Will Reagan.” You know how you have those friends that just turn you into a goofy fool? Well that is exactly what I’m talking about. Dan and Spencer were also great friends in Mozambique. So for the four of us to now be together and married, was something so unique and special.
We then went up north a bit to Peterborough, England where the famous Mandy Shutt greeted us with excited, sweep you off your feet, open arms. Mandy’s friends are just as inviting as she is and we were invited to have the kid treatment for the day at an all included fun fair with free food, drink and endless carnival rides. We fully enjoyed our days of laughter and craziness and our nights of “Bondi Rescue” with Mandy and company. However we did come into Mandy’s life at a bit of an intense time so we also spent a good chunk of time praying for Mandy’s two year old nephew who is sick with Leukemia. (So hint hint once you read this you should pray for his healing too.)
After Peterborough we took a bus to Llandudno, Wales. A week with Sarah Barbutti was royal treatment for sure. A small quiet seaside town left nothing more than walking along the beach and climbing up big hills. It was a week of relaxation for Spencer and I, while Sarah still had a life of hanging out with teenagers, work, and reaching out to the women of her church.
A common thread for all of these friends and not unlike us, is that people are a large part of their focus in life. So… were does that leave two wondering travelers who cannot be daily committed to anyone but each other? For me it left me feeling like a stagnant pond instead of a flowing river. Yes we are learning to love and care for one another as best we can but it just doesn’t seem to fill my quota for success in life.
Yet, my value system doesn’t really match up with the value system of the God who created me. God is complete and fully satisfied and created me purely for the enjoyment of a relationship with me. My value does not change based on how well I am doing at my job, or if I even have a job. My worth to him as a daughter has nothing to do with how successful my ministry is going or how spiritual I am. It is us not him who likes labels on “what we are doing with our lives.” It is us who enjoy having something spectacular to tell people when they ask. And so the lesson I’m still currently learning is to embrace being loved unconditionally. It is never God who loves us less based on what we do or don’t do, it is always our ability to receive His love that changes. So let go of how you value your life and let God cram more love into you.
