I want to live with an eternal mindset. I wrote my sister a text message last night after reflecting over my extended family member, Trish, who died at the young age of 37 about a month ago (I just found out yesterday). This was after hearing earlier in this year of two other women I did not know dying in their 30's and leaving young children. In 2012 I lost my only female best friend, Chris Simelane, who was in her 30's (she would prefer me to leave her age undefined, though I did finally find out for sure how old she was).
Part of the message I sent my sister was this, "I won't have on my headstone, 'I wish I had checked off one more thing on my to-do list' or, 'I wish I had kept the house cleaner'". The major problem is that, sadly, often I am living my days as if these were the most important things in my life. And, I am often judging my success and basing my view of myself on how I am doing on those two things. Not cool! Not cool at all. . .
In my Young Women's Bible Study we recently read in Deuteronomy 6:5-8 (NIV),
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
After studying the Deuteronomy passage then I studied the following New Testament passage,
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2
I want to "fix my eyes on Jesus" always. Left to my own devices I am selfish, impatient, irritable, moody, etc. . . I have the tools now to weave beads and am planning to teach myself in the near future. I thought, hey, maybe I could weave a bracelet with pertinent scripture woven into it to keep me focused on Jesus. Then I just read in my study Bible's commentary that the part in Deuteronomy about tying the commands to your hands and wearing them on your forehead was more likely to have had a figurative meaning.
Ah.
The original version I read of the Deuteronomy passage said for verse 6, "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to the commands I am giving you today."
Check back to my second paragraph. I just did, previewing what I had written, to notice that I had written, "I am living MY days. . . "
Hmmm. . . it seems I need inscribed on my heart for whom I am living each day of this life. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body". 1Cor. 6:19-20
This morning when I was walking (after attempting some running) part of that verse came into my mind. The part, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price".
I am not done thinking on this yet. . . more later. . .
