In pondering,”Is God enough?”, I realized this can practically apply to my everyday life. I’m currently attempting to plan for moving overseas and trying to figure out the difference of what we have to have, what we need and what we want. The funny thing is that around this time last year, all I had was literally a twin size mattress (thank you co-worker because I had been on a deflated blow up mattress), a dresser and an ironing board with a chair that served as my desk. I’m serious! I was working so much that I wasn’t really home and if I was, I was so exhausted that I just lay on my floor (that I cleaned with a borrowed vacuum cleaner) or on my bed (that I owned for 20something days). I was content broiling my gluten free english muffins, corn tortillas and the like in my oven since I didn’t have a toaster. Did I mention the bright teal counter top, warped moldy floors, secret door in my bedroom that led to a staircase and 3 other apartments, and the fact that there was no electrical socket in the bathroom so I did my hair sitting on the floor? Because those were some highlights as well ;) HA! Some of you might know where I am referring to, and the funny thing was that I was content. I survived. My hair looked nice everyday and I ate, somewhat ;) Additionally there was a drum set inside of a wood shack directly outside my bedroom window. That was also quite entertaining. I like for there to be musical beats to my throbbing headaches. Kidding! All joking aside, it was one of the craziest seasons of my entire life, but when it came to being content in my little, yet highly overpriced apartment, I was just fine.

Things changed when Stephen and I got married and all of a sudden we were going to eat REAL meals. You know where there is more than carrots and hummus, turkey wraps, yogurt, and chips and salsa. What? If you’re single you eat like that too. I had 3 forks, 3 spoons and 2 knives from Wal-Mart that I had purchased and pretty much used them all everyday until they turned a copper color! Ewww! I had a couple of things like a vegetable peeler, and a couple pans to cook in that my parent’s graciously gave me for my birthday. Even though Stephen and I weren’t 20 year olds getting married, we literally had nothing especially when it came to the kitchen. I married a man who moved with 3 fifty pound suitcases to Africa….! I’ve never moved away from home with more than I could fit in my car, but still that weighs in over 150 pounds and might I argue that most of his stuff was natural supplements and work supplies. So here our lives merged and we were blessed with wedding gifts! Praise Him! Towels, more mixing bowls that I know what to do with, silverware that wasn’t turning copper and even a shower curtain! Genuine and deep thankfulness in my heart! So now I have these things. Yes they are necessary for a family and we use all of our kitchen cookware, storage containers etc on a weekly basis. However there was a time when I didn’t need it all. The crazy season was short and I knew I would move back home, so I survived with my makeshift wedding planning ironing board desk. Now, as we look to the future not knowing exactly where and when we’ll be in Africa, many variables are before me.

I am sharing this example because we’ve talked this week about how sometimes we are filled and distracted with other things in our lives. When sorting through my life I can ask the same questions of my packing process for Africa. What do I absolutely have to have in my life? These would include your basic food, shelter, clothing, love, and breath in your lungs. May I add my primary absolute need would be God. Without Him, I have nothing. The second level would be to ask; What do I need to have? These would be secondary things in our lives that maybe pertain to us personally. We needs tools to complete an education or perform our jobs. We need safe healthy relationships that bring life and encouragement. We need healthy bodies so we can be strong and accomplish our God-given destinies. Third, I would ask; What are things that I just want? Well, sometimes like tonight, I want to eat out something different and splurge on a gluten-free AMAZING coconut pineapple dessert!!! Do I absolutely have to have it to exist? No. Do I desire it and can I indulge? Yes.

In breaking these things down and truly weighing them in my heart, I see the vast difference between needing God to fill me and me filling my tummy with a dessert. Talk about start contrast! One is my entire life line through whom everything I absolutely need comes from and the other is beyond a secondary need even and is just a delightful addition to my day.

You see all of our primary needs are things that if properly sought after turn us to be dependent on God. He set up the freedom of choice where we get to choose Him. I love that we have options! A pet peeve of mine is when there are no options. I was frustrated last week with an airline booking because I’m emphatic about getting the best deal and couldn’t find a loop hole. I felt so pinned into absolute decisions and was frustrated at the lack of options. Stephen came to the rescue using some wisdom and opened up another far glorious option. Options give us freedom. God set before us the option to choose Him. I’ve written about this before, but He put before us the choice of choosing life or death (Genesis 2-3 and Deuteronomy 28). He was very clear on His thoughts and desires for our choices both in the garden and in His law. This is because He wanted perfect unbroken communion with us. Then God sent His son Jesus that we might choose His life for us that paid for our sins and transgressions on the cross. This choice still stands for everyone of us to make our lives come under His lordship and receive a reconciled relationship that is right with the Father. The last choice even beyond salvation is the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Now I LOVE speaking on this aspect and the Trinity in general because it’s so important to our spiritual foundation, but message me if you need more details ;) To sum it up, we can receive the same Spirit into our bodies that is pure, undefiled and connected to God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. Holy Spirit can dwell within us and speak to us fluently as we listen. This is why the Apostle Paul urges us to be filled with the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. In that verse the word filled indicated how the early church, the ones first to receive the Holy Spirit were inebriated with the Spirit. Men first accused them of being drunk with wine because the Spirit so overtook them. Most of these first men and women walked so closely with Jesus Himself, yet He was able present physically in one place at one time not within their spirits. Once they were filled with Holy Spirit, only then were they able to be fully fulfilled in Him more than anything else they could desire.

I’m sharing all of this to say that God has given us these choices that we might be filled and fulfilled in Him. When we turn our life over to Him and let go of our need to be in control of our lives, our need to have everything we want and don’t need, He is enough. Every season in life will look differently, and even if your ironing board is your desk, and you’re getting free drum lessons, God wants to bring you to a place where you’re content in Him. In every situation, if we let Him, He’s there to be our every need and point us to a healthy place in Him.

He is enough.

Wait! I did have a lamp in my living room that looked like the Eiffel Tower and a small desk lamp on my floor in my bedroom! Whew! Don’t want to forget those ;-)