My Treasures

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Luke 12:34

The past week and a half has felt like much longer.  We finally got our car yesterday (thank God).  We also finally got cell phones...  We thought we would get these two basic essentials last Friday but found out we couldn't get our car until Monday (which also meant we couldn't get cell phones until Monday).  We were tired of having to walk all over the base or call someone for a ride every time we needed to go somewhere.  On Friday when I heard that we couldn't get our car, I'll be honest, I had a breakdown.  I was looking forward to being able to explore the beaches and parts of the island off base.  I was looking forward to having some freedom, and here I was with the realization that instead I would be stuck for the entire weekend in the hotel room.  UGH.  Dramatic, I know.  I think my reaction was really a culmination of all of the emotions of being in a new place and two new cultures (military and Japanese).  My drama was worthless because we actually had a pleasant weekend.  Went bowling, tried out a church and played racquetball.  The weather was beautiful.  Monday came and we had to wait until 3:00pm to get our car.  We drove around base and then went straight to the cell phone store.  FINALLY, at about 7:30 last night we had the two things that we'd been waiting for!  You know, at the end of the day, these two items did not bring me the comfort and relief that I thought they would. (DUH).  The truth is, they probably brought me even more anxiety because (believe me) it's a little unnerving adjusting to this left side of the road driving and we (stupidly) invested in these really fancy phones (for the GPS capability) that we will only be able to utilize half of their features.  Why?  Because half of everything on these phones is in Japanese, INCLUDING the GPS.  Why in the world would we need a GPS system that is entirely Japanese?  I don't know why they thought that would be useful to us.  But really it's our fault for not asking if it was in English.  We're hoping that tonight we'll be able to return the phones and exchange them for just regular old cell phones, but that's not very likely.  We will probably just have to take the loss.  Lesson learned.

Okay, so after getting some sleep I wake up this morning feeling a bit more peace about the whole cell phone thing, but I think mostly I was feeling good because I knew we were supposed to be offered a house today. (Another one of those things we can't wait to acquire.)  I spent some time praying about everything that happened yesterday, asking forgiveness for our poor stewardship, etc. etc.  And open my Bible to two passages I often reference when I'm dealing with anxiety--Matthew 6 and Luke 12.  They're almost identical. The verse that brings me to my knees?  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Ahhhh, it all clicks.  No wonder I didn't feel satisfied after finally obtaining those highly sought after items.  Again, DUH.  I'm ashamed to say it, but I know I'm not the only one who forgets this truth at times.  Obviously these things became my treasure instead of Christ, and because nothing can truly satisfy my heart other than Christ, I was left feeling disappointed and empty.  I'm thankful for God's grace and patience and that He is kind enough to gently steer me back to the truth.  Now my challenge is to keep my eyes on Him, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.  This is especially going to be challenging for me as we get offered housing.  WHICH, by the way, I talked to housing today and found out we won't be offered housing until Thursday. For some reason this housing thing has become a treasure in my heart, I mean, I really care about what kind of place it is, where it is, whether or not it has a yard, etc.  I know this is partly my womanliness.  But I don't want it to be such a concern that I'm disappointed if I don't get everything I want.  I don't want to be a spoiled brat, haha.  Just in the week and a half I've been here I've really learned how spoiled we are as Americans.  We are SPOILED BRATS.  Haha.  I mean, we have everything easy.  Even here, I know life will not be hard, but even the smallest inconveniences have kind of shaken my world.  Shameful, I know.

Anyway, thanks for reading about my many challenges and struggles and for not judging me.  As always, God is taking good care of us.  He is good!