Everything You're to Be

Read: 2 Thessalonians 1-3

So, yesterday I deliberated over whether or not I was going to focus on chapter 1, chapter 3, or chapter 2 again, just to be different. Jury's back: chapter 1. And it's hardly even into the chapter. 2nd verse: "Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you're to be."

I wouldn't say by any stretch of the imagination that I'm "poor" right now. I might have less money coming in than I'm accustomed to at the moment but I can look around and tally the money I've already spent and know that I'm much better off than most of the rest of the world. Living within my means is not an easy concept to me as I'm a flagrant consumer with a constant need to constantly purchase things. I fight it and I've gotten better, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

Anyways, in these trying, jobless times I'm having to take a hard look at the things I regularly purchase and picking out the ones that are "needs." Food, rent, and health insurance are the big ones really and of those three, the last two are pretty non-negotiable (unless I tell Aultcare where they can stick that ridiculously over-priced health insurance). So, even within food I have to take a look at what is necessity and what is rationalized. This little exercise in unemployment has taught me the difference between the two and I'm learning to look for the bargains and maybe not buy the preferred brand every time. Or simply just doing without or less frequently than I'd like (man, do I miss Oreos, didn't even realize I really missed them until I decided I shouldn't buy them).

I suppose this is one of those God breaking through the clouds type times for me with me learning greater dependence on him for what I truly need, mainly a job and income and that sort of thing. I don't know exactly how he's going to provide but I'm still excited to see what he comes up with. Just hopefully he does it before I really am broke to the point where even comics aren't an option ;)

But it's the second part of the verse that I really like: "makes you everything you're to be." I love the idea that I'm capable of being much more than I am. It's an easy thought to grasp because there is a lot of room for improvement. It's a hard thought to grasp because there's a lot of work to do.

A certain image comes to mind: a sculptor starting with a big chunk of marble and slowly chipping it down over time. And this goes back to the first part of the verse: God doesn't add to us, he chips off. We're the statues hiding in that chunk of rock. It's when we get rid of the crappy outer layer that the beautiful aspects of us are visible. It's when we do more with less, when there's less us and more God, that we finally start to get it right.

Chip away, God, chip away :)