The past few days, I have gotten somewhat off-track. My mind has not been focused on Jesus, trusting Him, striving to grow, seeking to honor Him. Rather, it has been on work, on finances, on how messy my house is. Yesterday, I attempted to make hamburgers for lunch, but after putting them on the grill, I went inside and forgot about them, getting caught up in cleaning my house. I'm not certain how much time passed before I remembered that I was supposed to be cooking lunch, but regardless, it was too much time. The burgers were charcoal. I snapped. The burnt burgers were the last straw and I burst into tears. As my husband attempted to comfort me and tell me that we could have something else for lunch, that it was not a big deal, that he would grill some more burgers for us, the true reason for my breakdown came out.
"The house is a mess and we have no money," I say as I continue to cry.
"It's not a big deal that the house is a little messy," he responds, "and I am working so that we will have money."
But that was not the point. Because it does not matter how much I clean, the house will still be messy again and I will have to clean it again, and although we work and make money, it will all be gone again by the next paycheck. Work and clean and work and clean, and still we are getting nowhere. What is the point of it all? It is meaningless.
And as I got out my notebook to move on to the next item on my to do list, my husband stopped me and ordered me to read my Bible. I could not really argue, since reading the Bible is important and even I knew that I needed a perspective shift. So I stomped up the stairs, grabbed my Bible, and flipped open to somewhere in the middle and started reading.
Before too long, I stopped crying. Then my perspective shifted and God reminded me that what was holding my focus was not actually important. He showed me that I had gotten my focus off of Him and onto this world. As I finished Psalm 16, lunch was ready and I had gained some perspective.
"Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."
Psalm 16:5 (HCSB)
And that is one of the many instances that my husband has helped me to refocus, to grow in my walk with the Lord, or to stretch myself in an aspect of it.
His example of sharing his testimony with random people, his emphasis on looking at the original languages and learning the historical background when studying the Bible, and his willingness to step out in faith and trust God, even when it is difficult for him all inspire me to do the same. When he is having a bad day and stops to read his Bible, the way that he picks out illustrations for aspects of God's word in movies and books, and his encouragement and prayers for me, all encourage me in my own walk with God.
While my relationship with Jesus looks different now that I am married, that does not in the least mean that I am not growing or He is not working in my life. God very often uses the cause of my divided interests to encourage growth in my walk with Him.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Proverbs 27:17