Okay, so here at the Salt lick, it’s my goal to create a community of people who can be open and honest… From time to time, we will get into things that are a little closer to uncomfortable then other times. I mean, for real, how uncomfortable is it to look at my beautiful kids, and hear me tell stories of my life… … not very… … but it’s not all about stories and my kids, and such. Those are good things for sure. BUT…
Today I want to bring up and have an open discussion on one of those tough topics… I’m sure this will get about 1 comment. I’m okay with that. My goal is to help us think together. Not see how many comments I can get.
LUST! What’s the deal with lust? Now, I bet your thinking… Woah, let’s keep off the sexual talk here. Remember this is associated with church and youth group and God type stuff. “Let me remind you Peter, we don’t talk about sex and lust and stuff like that at church.”
Oh really? Seriously?
Hmm…
Anyhow, let me put your fears at ease… I’m not even really concerned with sexual lust today. {insert big sigh of relief here…} Lust. I have this feeling that if we are honest, you and I lust after a lot more than pretty ladies, or strong handsome Peirce Brosnan-esque guys… (What’s with that guy anyhow… it must be his accent, click there and you can even join his fan club! YEAH!) The lust I’m concerned with today is lust like this: that one dream car, the perfect job, a better baseball team (I guess you can’t all have the phillies… sorry A’s, Red Socks, Royals, Giants… ) a larger salary, a Mac, I don’t know, whatever.
In Exodus 20:17 it clearly address this type of lust… “No lusting after your neighbor’s house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don’t set your heart on anything that is your neighbor’s.” Hmm… Think on that for a few minutes…
This weekend Tiffany and I are going to the National Youth Workers Convention in Pittsburgh. We are bringing 10 of our other Youth Leaders with us. This is one of those weekends that I look forward to months in advance. It is right up there with family vacation, Christmas, and Thanksgiving, as being on the list of things I look forward to. It goes, Family vacation, Christmas, NYWC, and then Thanksgiving, on the list of things I look forward to. It is that crucial to my life. Thousands of other people who get what it is that I do, and why I do it gather together to learn, worship, and be filled again… to get back to the point of where we were when we first started doing this. But there is the one thing that I have to fight against. I have been going for years to NYWC. In my early days, I was pastoring a Junior High Group of about 75-90 kids… that’s huge in comparison to a lot of other ministries. Then I went to the beautiful shores of Long Beach Island and served at a smaller church where my junior high ministry consisted of 3-5 students. My senior high on a good night would have 20. I currently serve in a ministry that has somewhere between 35-50 junior high students, and 45-60 senior high students. “So what are you saying Peter?” What I’m saying is that it is easy for me to have ministry lust. to look at other ministries and say I wish that I could have that many kids, or that sound system, or that lighting system, or that creative support team, or a facility dedicated to youth like they do over at “The Grass is Greener over here Community of the Redeemed Church”.
Ministry lust… I struggle. I had it when I had 75 kids, I had it when I had 3, I have it while I have 100+ kids. God tells us that this type of lust/coveting, is not good, in fact He commands us not to have it, not to make it apart of who we are. So, I fight against it. I work hard. I ask God for strength. But it is tough.
Here it is… the question that you knew I was going to ask, “What non-sexual thing do you lust after? And let’s take it one step further and help each other… How do you avoid the trap of lusting after it?”
Join in the conversation… It’s a free skate, all are welcome…
~Peter
4 Comments
Peter,
I was so excited to leave a post – I typed it out and then clicked post and got an error message!! Ah! Why didn’t I copy and save??!! I guess I will try again …
This is a great question.
I would have to say that I have always enjoyed making things nice and beautiful. I love interior design and decorating – but that can be costly! And sometimes I think I justify spending money on my house because it’s my home and I want to be able to enjoy it more.
But enjoying my home is a mindset. It’s so easy to think that making my house just the way I want it will make me happy – and that is not the case.
And I certainly hope I never get to the point where I feel entitled to things.
I think it is a constant struggle to remember that ‘things’ don’t make my life better.
Whenever I’m feeling particularly greedy, I try to remind myself of all God has already given me. I try to remain in that ‘thankful mindset’ rather than the ‘entitelment mindset.’ And sometimes I need to do exactly what I don’t feel like doing – GIVING. I think giving to others helps me be less greedy and remember how much I have. It helps me remember that the reason for life is not to just enjoy what we can get.
Peter, first let me say that I’m lusting after you because you get to go to the NYWC! I also went for about 6 years in a row when I was in youth ministry. This year will be the 2nd conference I’ve missed, and I miss it terribly. If it were within driving distance of me, I’d probably go anyway even though I’m not in youth ministry now 🙂 Like you, I looked forward to this event for many months to come.
But for another thing(s) that I lust after, I guess it would be a nice backyard with a swimming pool, or giant screen HD TV 🙂
Man… this is a good subject. I definately think I lust after control of things in my life- it’s a huge stumbling block for me. It all comes down to trust and being able to have faith that God will never fail. It’s something I have spent a good portion of my life working on letting go of, and the same amount of time fighting to hold onto. I try to focus on verses like Phil 4:6-7 which is a reminder to me that I have to take EVERYTHING to God with prayer and petition, and not have anxiety about the situations that unfold around me. And then of course there is the whole “Lean not on your own understanding…”. Like most I am a work in progress – and thankfully God knows all about my weaknesses and loves me and finds me worthy anyway 🙂
The new MacBook Pro…I shouldn’t have looked at the specs! How to keep from it consuming my thoughts? Being thankful that the MacBook Pro I have that is two years old is still working beautifully and is a spectacular machine. Being thankful I have a job that I can use it for and NOT going to MacOutfitters to play with the new one.