To Give Him Our All
Hi Friends,
I hope you are all well. Today I have a vision to share that answers a few of the questions I have been asking of God. It has to do with decisions, time, priorities, and the Lord’s perfect will.
It is a three part vision that I received earlier this morning.
The Vision
First I saw a plastic storage tub with a lid. The lid was open and the contents, (clothing and other personal items) were overflowing the tub. This storage container was just behind the front seat of a car. I heard these words spoken: “Leave the cubical.”
Next I saw my arm out-stretched in front of me with my palm facing upward. In my hand was a 6” cube of compacted trash. Visible within this compacted collection was a zippered workout jacket that I wear often.
Then I saw myself carrying a baby with a soft quilted blanket. I did not carry the baby in my arms, but I carried the baby holding the blanket by its corners. Even though I did not see anyone helping me, I know that someone must have held the other two corners. Then I saw the baby sitting on the floor next to me. He vomited onto his blanket. Nearby, there was another baby blanket made of yellow flannel, that I used to wipe his mouth and clean up the mess.
What I believe the vision means:
The Plastic Storage Tub
The scene takes place just behind the front passenger seat in a car. The tub was about 18” x 22” x 15” H The tub was placed just in front of a built in platform bed made from unfinished pine.
I have been fascinated with a YouTube reality show called “Cheap RV Living.” The man on the show helps to encourage people who have experienced hardship, to get on their feet, by converting whatever vehicle they own, into a home for themselves.
This fascination I have with tiny homes, trailers, vans and RV’s I have had for quite a while now. But it is hard to shake. It was becoming a bit of an obsession , and I believe God wants me to just leave it behind. He has told me basically that it is a waste of time thinking of things which are unimportant. I could be praying, or reading the word of God, writing or visiting the shut-ins or simply being available to him.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples 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 bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
We do not belong to ourselves. Yet we act as if we are the captains of our own ships. Most of us, when we have a bit of free time, we want to veg-out, call a friend, or engage in our favorite pastimes. In these moments when we desire a break, or a rest, we simply give into the flesh, and just do whatever pleases us.
For me, I enjoy the RV shows because they are not exciting, just interesting. I call it “slow TV.” Yet because I know that the Lord doesn’t want me to “waste time,” I decided to limited my time, by watching the show only while I eat, since there is not much else you can do at that time. However, I believe that today, the Lord put his foot down, declaring enough is enough - “Leave the cubical.”
He is not saying to leave the television, even though that in itself can be a tremendous waste of time. I believe he means for me to leave the fascination for tiny spaces, because a cubical is a tiny office space, or space that has been set apart with a partition. In the vision, the cubical refers to the tiny space inside a car or van.
I have asked myself many times, “Why am I so fascinated with the tiny house and the RV lifestyle?” I am aware that it is a life with very few comforts. It can be a life of extremes and risks. It can be a lonely life and a life filled with unknowns. I do not need to live in a car or a van. I am not impoverished; I have never experienced real lack. The Lord has always supplied all our family’s needs. Yet, what appeals to me about it, is the idea of minimalism, simplicity, and getting away.
I guess, I have always been a minimalist. I gave up my design business years ago because it was so focused on material possessions. It seemed entirely frivolous. The only design I could really justified was commercial work. Space planning, workflow, and efficiency in design I believed would help a business function well and become more successful. But I could care less about spending excessive time designing furnishings that were there solely to impress others and satisfy the client’s ego.
Some time ago, I made a promise to the Lord, that I would no longer sketch up designs or plans for tiny houses or RV’s. I am a designer, so this is a very big deal. I think like a designer, I focus like a designer, it is hard for me not to sketch or design, for it is in my blood. But I have kept my promise now for perhaps three years or more. He told me no 2020, a 3D CAD design program for kitchens, and no Sketch Up, another CAD program for designing nearly anything.
This past year he gave me two other No’s: No more certifications, and no more added sugar.
You may think that the Lord is severe in his demands. But if we are truly his, then nothing really belongs to us. And nothing that we have should be withheld from him.
So I must learn to be content in whatever direction the Lord is taking me. “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Philippians 4:11
So for me - a retired designer, and minimalist, wife and mother, I must learn to be content in my home with an over-abundance of needless possessions.
And how do we learn to be content? When we fix our eyes are the Lord, and worship him, our concerns, and problems fade. I know this to be true. So when we find dissatisfaction in our lives, it may be that we have taken our eyes off Jesus. And we are getting distracted by the world.
“Let us throw-off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
One of my favorite passages of scripture is Isaiah Chapter 58. It speaks of finding our joy, by honoring God and doing his will rather than our own. I really believe that this is the key to true peace, joy, and contentment.
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.Declare to my people their rebellion, and to the house of Jacob their sins.For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask of me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry, and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteous will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here am I.’
If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noon day.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will b e called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58:1-14
The Compacted Trash
The vision of the 6” compacted cube of articles perhaps is my own desire to get rid of it all. My hand is open as if offering it to someone. It is not much, only 216 cubic inches. And who would want anything once it has been compacted into a cube? There is no value at that point.
What do we have to share that is of value?
King Solomon, in the Book of Proverbs, speaks of a woman of noble character: “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” Proverbs 31:20
My jacket was in the compacted cube. I only keep it to wear around the house for warmth. It has bleach marks on it from doing the laundry. It is not worth anything. Yet, God wants us to share with those in need. “Is it not to share your food with the hungry, and provide the poor wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:7
In our nation, in our neighborhoods or in the next town away, we find people that could use our help. Are we extending our arms and our hands to those in need? God is asking us to understand his heart and give ourselves in service to him. “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17
We all know that our faith is not a faith based on works. But because of our faith, our trust and our love for the Lord, we can’t help but show our devotion to him, by what we do for others. Our desire to serve comes from a grateful heart towards God and a compassionate heart towards those that need our help. The Holy Spirit leads us in his ways, so that we can become his hands and feet. James speaks of the works that we do on behalf of others: “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” James 2:17-18
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
“In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
In the vision, I held out something that was worthless—just trash. Can we instead give our best? Can we give our valuable time? Can we give a Bible, or financial help to those in need? Can we support a ministry to the poor, or a ministry to those who have never heard the gospel? Better yet, can we be the answer to someone else’s prayer? Can we simply say, “Here I am Lord, send me.”
The Baby
A baby is messy, noisy, demanding, and all consuming. When a baby arrives as a new member of the family, our lives are forever changed. We can no longer be selfish—we are needed. We give up our personal freedom and choose to be entirely available. We become devoted and dedicated to the task of raising a child. To be a parent, to raise a child to love and serve the Lord is a calling. It is a responsibility, and a pleasure. It consumes all our time and energy. We are challenged each day to learn and to teach, to grow and to reach beyond our abilities to seek God’s help, his wisdom and his strength.
When our kids reach maturity, and for a time choose the world over God, our hearts break. Yet we know that God is faithful. He will provide. They will be saved, if we continue in our faith, and steadfast in our prayers, he will move mountains!
The baby represents a commitment to God. I believe that the Lord helped me carry the infant in the blanket. He also provided the yellow blanket to wipe the child’s mouth and clean up the mess. God is faithful. “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” Deuteronomy 31:6
The commitment he wants us to make with him, is a “no turning back commitment.” The baby cries, we come. The baby needs food, we supply. The baby needs comfort, we hold him. The baby smiles and our hearts are filled with joy.
That is our commitment to God. We give him our devotion and our love just as we might give to a child that is helpless. Yet it is we who are helpless. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:5-7
The baby can also represent something new: a new season, a new ministry, a new church, a new responsibility. No matter what that new thing is, “Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as if unto the Lord, not unto men.” Colossians 3:23
I want to say that I have been blessed to write about these visions, and I hope you have been blessed to read them and share them with your friends.
This is the blessing that the Lord gave to Moses:
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’”’” Numbers 6:24-27
So we can do the same, as we bless one another: May God bless you in all your endeavors for him. May God give you wisdom and an undivided heart. May he bless you and your family, and give you peace, love, provision, abundant health and a joyful heart!
God bless you always!
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