STUFF!

Throughout 25 years of my life I have lived outside of my means. I lived with a priority of always having the best of things. Living fully to satisfy my need for social status and belonging. Growing up my mom worked three jobs in part to help me achieve this status so that I would feel good. As a parent I understand she wanted to give us kids all we could ever ask for. Her need was different than mine. Her need was to provide for us the greatest feeling we could ever want for ourselves in hopes that one day we use that confidence to blossom into successful contributors to society. While her need was very giving my need was very selfish and self-centered. While she lived in a way she wanted us to learn from, I blindly become in love with stuff. My life became consumed with the best clothes, the best shoes, the best surfboard, the popular friends, I had the best of the best and regardless of what harm it had done to anyone else didn’t matter. I wanted to be the most popular. Even through my adult life it became about the best house the nicest clothes the fancier car the best job. Through all this struggling with my disease and consistently blaming myself for failing at accomplishing what I thought was the most important, STUFF! I was the true definition of a materialistic person! I was the guy who had to have it all the best of the best and I wanted it now. After being stripped of everything time and time again, starting completely over with nothing time and time again, mostly because of my actions, but also because of the grace of God. I was saved at the age of 31 I was saved, at that point in time I was yet again stripped of everything, everything down to my soul and even that was stripped. God literally peeled off the old and began to transform me into the man I was to become in his eyes. The man I was built to be. I realized standing in the front yard of my new home on January 1^st 2013 with an empty 3 bedroom 2 bath home, a small box of nick knacks and journal writings filled with sermons and songs I had wrote, and a bin full of my clothes, that everything I had wasn’t mine. My life had been so blessed by God, his mercy and grace, that everything I had belonged to him. It was him who provided my home, it was him that provided my clothes, it was him whom provided my words and wisdom. I’ll never forget I walked into that empty house that day, fell on my knees and thanked him in a way I never knew possible. In tears on my knees I vowed to God to thank him every day for everything in my life. I vowed to continue to be the humble servant and walk in humility in my life forever giving him thanks and praise for the things I had and the things I take advantage of, my sight my ability to hear and listen, taste and touch, I would thank him for emotions like love and sadness, joy and anger, not just because he is worthy of my thanks and praise but because I needed to remind myself my life in its entirety belong to him. I have what I have because he has loaned it to me, loaned it to me so that I will responsibly do with it what needs to be done so that others may see his face. I wasn’t given the blessings I was given so that I look good! I was given the blessings I was given so that he looks good. Recently many of you know I had fallen out of line with God! Many of you know I struggled with this thing this action of humility. I very quickly with my success began to become the old me, the, materialistic self-centered old me. Even though as my success began to grow the reminders from God were there. As I sit and reflect on this time in my life I notice the reminders weren’t just there, they were in GIANT LETTERS IN BOLD PRINT. God yet again was screaming to me humility, everywhere I turned was a reminder of success and humility. The more I tried the more I failed. Now I realize humility is something inside of you, inside of your spirit, it’s not something you can try. It is a gift and responsibility that God gives each of our Spirits. Its apart of you that you literally have to teach your spirit not to be. By that I mean you have to learn not to be humble, when God renews your soul I believe humility comes with it. If it doesn’t, then God hasn’t renewed your soul. It’s not like he gives you joy and peace but leaves out humility. I heard a definition this weekend from Dr. Brian Kluth, “materialism is the assumption that everything is for my consumption!” This statement can’t be any truer than bees make honey. You see I taught my soul to be materialistic. I taught myself to believe that everything belongs to me. I allowed the world and its worldly things to begin to consume my life taking my eyes completely off of the blessings God had provided me. So here I sit by the grace of God on life number 2000 expressing to you the importance of humility to God. I sit this morning looking at everything in my life writing a list of all God has done for me in just the 6 short hours I’ve been awake and my list goes on. I don’t have this grandiose house, I’m staying with my mom, but I do have a roof in a beautiful home with people who love me. I don’t have a bank account over flowing, but, the few dollars I do have God gave me to get what I need. I’m not saying that we can’t have the nice car, beautiful home, or fancy clothes, I’m saying give the credit to God, remember he loaned you that stuff so that others may see his face, use it so that others see him! You see life isn’t about stuff, it’s about what you do with that stuff so that others may see his face. It’s about what you do with what God has loaned you. So I challenge you with this, today I ask you to pray for renewal and pray for humility. I ask you to accept EVERYTHING in your life is his, and before your feet hit the floor in the morning pray to God Thanking him for everything he has given you, and acknowledge that IT IS ALL HIS. Pray back the scripture to God in his own words, “and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 (NIV). Nothing of this world belongs to you, it all belongs to him, because without him we would all have nothing.  Stand firm in your faith and don’t be afraid to give credit where credit is due. I think he deserves it! I leave you with this, my personal vow to God the father, God I vow again to honor you and submit myself to your hand giving you thanks and praise to all I have been given, I pray you help me in remembering the reason you have blessed me and provide me with the strength and wisdom I need in order for others to see you. Today I write on my white board in big bold caps three simple words to help me be reminded of all you have done for me, “…IT IS HIS!” What will be your reminder?

- Sean A. Smith

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