There is something soothing about rain. It might be the fact we haven’t had enough rain this year. Maybe it’s soothing to me as a hobbyist gardener. Whatever the reason, I love to hear the rain fall.
Rain is renewing. It rinses the leaves. It cleans the air. In San Luis Obispo, it’s FREE irrigation!
Of course too much of a good thing is still too much. Sometimes an abundance of a good thing like rain can be dangerous. Thankfully we’re not there yet.
What we do with an abundance of good things? The abundance may not come in the form of rain; it might take the form of an unplanned addition to your family or a financial windfall, or too many lemons on your tree for you to make use of.
If my mind is set on the things above then what to do with abundance will take on different form than if my mind is set on the things of this world. I mentioned that I have been mulling over a question for several days and that tumbling, rolling thoughts have bumped up against a false narrative that I have believed for a long time. What’s a false narrative?
I first learned the idea from the Apprentice Series. The author, James Bryan Smith, introduces the concept in The Good and Beautiful God. “We are creatures who live by our stories” A false narrative is a story we have believed that is not true. Lies we believe come in many forms; interior transformation takes place when we replace false narratives with the True narratives of Jesus. I have loved reading through, talking through and walking through the transformation process with others. That is real community: people willing to risk being vulnerable with others and do the messy work of really relating. But I digress…
The false narrative that I saw through the tumbling question was simply this: my stuff is my own. If I really look at the difference the Resurrection makes I see the places in my heart that I have clung to stubbornly like a petulant child grabbing a cherished toy and turning away with a loud ‘No!’ I have believed that stuff is important to show a level of achievement, a statement of ‘I have arrived’.
The Resurrection is a demonstration of new life, of ‘other world’ life, where the focus is not on self but on the Giver of life and every good gift that is given. Whatever the gift is, the Kingdom perspective is the gift is meant as a blessing to be shared, a way to be a blessing to someone else. Jesus going to the Cross, taking on my penalty so that I am free of the guilt of my sin, giving me new life through His sacrifice is the best good and perfect gift! Receiving the Gift is the beginning point in the process of spiritual transformation. My mind can be made new, my false narratives can become new true narratives day by day. That is good news!
So I am beginning to see my abundant stuff differently. Considering what and how to share with others. Awareness is the first step to change. My awareness of the false narrative that my stuff is my own is the first step to change; what I do next will be a part of the ongoing process of being Lisa in whom Christ dwells.
What have you been recognizing within yourself? What change are you considering?