Treasures in Storage Rooms and Quiet Places

He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. Isaiah 33:6 NIV

It happened again. I turned the newspaper page to an article on a new self-storage facility coming to town. Several storage units have been built in my area recently. Now, a bigger and better one was scheduled for a Grand Opening.

What is there about self-storage units that appeal to us, and why are there so many? Is it place to store valuables, excess that doesn’t fit in our house or apartment, things we don’t use, but can’t part with? I used a storage unit to de-clutter my house and stage it for prospective buyers for a more appealing look. It worked.

It was amazing how much I could live with…and without.

In Matthew 6:6 (NIV) we read, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Houses in Bible times had the original open concept - no doors to separate rooms - with one exception. In this passage, the room had a door. It was the place to store valuables.  

In the KJV translation, we read “enter into your “closet”.  I recently had shelves put into a closet so I could eliminate clutter, discard some things, and arrange what I really needed. I appreciate the organization and simplicity.

Either way - a room or a closet - we need a place of quiet, away from clutter, where we can pray and hear God speak. He shows us His treasures. In His quiet presence, we de-clutter our self-storage that represents the accumulation of the unnecessary or the undesirable. We receive God- treasures personally designed for us: wisdom for decisions, peace in anxiety, compassion in struggles, a word for the moment. 

                     Pam's prayer parlor

Each time we meet, we experience a Grand Re-Opening, and His reward comes. He shows us what we need, and His resources to supply. We eliminate the clutter from our lives, reorganize, discard, and find valuables in our new space.

There are some things we can’t live without. His treasures - those we find in that quiet room alone - are some of them.

Do you have a quiet place? What treasures have you found as you de-cluttered in your quiet place?  Share your valuables with us.

Treasures in Dance and Life

My best friend, Micki, and I transferred to a large university our junior year. When we scheduled classes, getting in to those for our major wasn’t difficult, but finding an open class for the required PE class was a challenge. Students had registered at the close of last semester, so few classes were open. Micki stood next to me registering for the same. “Well,” the advisor said, “it looks like you have a choice of wrestling, basketball, and intermediate modern dance. All other PE classes are closed.”

Micki and I looked at each other in a panic. I didn’t know if I would laugh or cry. “Intermediate?” I asked incredulously. “I’ve never even had beginning.” (Not to mention that I wasn't remotely interested in the class.)

“That’s fine, you can still get into the class.”                                      

Micki and I registered, not knowing what we were getting into. We needed two PE classes and couldn’t double up in the three remaining semesters.                                                                                            

The day came for class to start, and wearing our leotards, we walked into the gym. One of the students said with (sickening) enthusiasm, “Our instructor studied abroad this past summer. Isn’t that wonderful? I can’t wait to see what she teaches us.”

I wasn’t feeling it. The beautiful instructor, long straight blonde hair, and walking toward the center of the gym in   statuesque posture, read the class list. It appeared she knew many students. Of course, she did- they had been in beginning modern dance.

“Alright ladies, let’s go to the bars.” Micki and I followed the others’ leads. We had no idea what we were doing.

“Third position”, the instructor called.

I imitated the girl in front of me. Micki, behind me, said in a stage whisper, “Marilyn, what happened to first and second?”

“I have no idea,” I whispered. “I’m just following the girl in front of me.”

It was nothing short of a miracle we got through the semester and actually passed the course. I won’t even describe our group presentation for our final.

Positions. It amazes me how there are purposefully designed positions in dance. The techniques enable you to move with grace, flow, and ease.

People in scripture have been positioned to move purposefully too.

In Genesis, Hagar a slave girl, was thrown out of the house and sent to a desert. It was there she met God. It is the first time in scripture we read the name El Roi. She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "’You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’" (Genesis 16:13 NIV)

Hagar was positioned to be the first female to see the character of our God who sees every detail of our lives.

In Genesis, we meet Joseph-sold into captivity by his jealous brothers. Joseph rose to leadership, was falsely accused and imprisoned, then released to use his wisdom to save people from famine. When reunited with his brothers, he told them,

“ ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’” (Genesis 50:20 NIV)

Joseph understood God had positioned him for specific roles and purpose.

As an infant, Moses was placed in a basket in the crocodile infested Nile River, by his courageous mother in an attempt to save his life from murder by Pharaoh. An Egyptian princess rescued him and he was raised and educated in a palace. Later, he became God’s instrument to deliver the Israelites. (Read the accounts in Exodus.)

God positioned Moses for a task.

Esther, a Hebrew orphan, was sent to a palace, chosen to be queen, and then saved her people. She had “come to royal position for such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14b NIV)

God positioned Esther for an amazing life-saving role.

God positions us today, perhaps not to save a nation, but to influence people. You may be positioned in your family, neighborhood, workplace, small group, organization, committee, or in a simple conversation. Your life may have changed in a move, by a diagnosis, or with an empty nest but has purpose. Each of us has been positioned.

We may be uncomfortable, but our positions matter, and so does what we do about them: words, decisions, attitudes, and interactions are opportunities to use our positions.

Intermediate modern dance, was an experience I’d like to forget, but fifty years later, it’s fresh in my mind. So is the fact in that semester’s position, I persevered through the unfamiliarity and discomfort and passed the course.

What about your positions and the position you are in now? How do you see your purpose and influence to dance in your God-appointed position?

*Photo courtesy of Bailey Rose Foland 

Treasures in Work

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is considered the last holiday of summer and is designated to honor work. On Tuesday, we hit the ground running, preparing a packed fall schedule that includes sign-ups for school activities, football games, deadlines, and meetings. Car pools, bus stops, and lunchboxes make up our routine. We might sign up for Bible studies and a gym membership. Fall activities dominate and give way to Thanksgiving and plans for Christmas.

We look at each marked square on our calendar as a sign we are connected, involved, and maybe even important. Our work describes us. It may even define us. Though a full calendar may give us a sense of accomplishment, belonging, and perhaps recognition, it may also yield stress.

In the New Testament, a woman named Martha was all about her work. (Luke 10:38-42) Martha planned the best. A simple meal for the Savior? Hardly! She wanted a large-scale meal. Martha had the gift of hospitality and the skills to go with it. Verse 40 tells us that she was “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Her anxiety led her to complain to Jesus, saying her sister Mary with whom she lived, is “just sitting there and has left me to do all the work!” Notice Jesus’ response in verse 41: “Martha, you are worried.” He didn’t challenge her work, but noted her worry.

As we begin a fall season, do you anticipate a crowded schedule and groan at the thought of “one more thing” to please one more person? Do you see consequences ready to unfold with too much to do and not enough time to do it? 

Martha should have been ecstatic to have such a guest of honor in her home, but her self-centered focus and preoccupation with her “To Do” list left little room to find joy in her work.

Opportunities to work and the skills to do it are God-given gifts as are participation in activities we enjoy. When we prioritize, discard the anxiety, and exchange it for the peace Jesus offers we can honor work.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3: 23-24 NIV)

What about you? Is it time to look at your calendar and see if you need to make adjustments? What can you do to exchange worry and anxiety for peace and joy in your work? How can you look at routine and God-given work as gifts and embrace joy?