REPLACING THE LESSER THINGS

I'm writing for Five Minute Friday and today's prompt word is REPLACE.

Lately, I've seen people replace one broken relationship with another, more promising one.  

Promising because it's new, not because it's necessarily any healthier.

I've seen people replace one idol with another, not necessarily better just different and perhaps more acceptable. 

I've seen myself replace one coping mechanism with another, not necessarily healthier, just new and different and apparently 'better'.  

Lately, I've watched my teenager struggle greatly with people falling off their pedestals and wanting to replace them with someone else, something else.    The main person to fall off said pedestal is me.  

And she's angry.  She's angry that I'm not God.  She's angry that I'm not powerful enough to fix our family's brokenness.   She's angry that I'm not zapping adults and making them behave.   She's angry that I don't know more, not doing more, not trying harder.  She's even angry that I'm happy in the midst of all the mess.   

What she needs to do is actually replace me as the one who can do all, fix all, knows all, be all that she needs.  

I guess that's a transition that happens somewhere between childhood and adulthood - at least it should.  And it's a hard transition.   

But how many of us actually do that?   How of many of us actually replace the adult/s we worship with God?   How many of us simply replace the adult/s with someone or something else that we decide will fulfil our every need and desire?  

Miss Teen is angry that God is challenging her to replace me with Him, to replace her coping mechanisms with Him, to replace her lies and half truths and the lies of her culture - with His truth.    

She's angry that He's asking her to replace her dreams and desires with His.    She's angry that He should dare to ask so much of her.   After all, Who does He think He is?   

She's realising, through her own reading, through sermons at church, through worship songs and various interactions, that God is above everyone and everything in every way, that He's awesome but that He asks something of us.   

I keep pointing out that because He is awesome, He has so much to give her but it doesn't come cheap.   It's free but it comes at a price. 

This morning, in our devotional time, we read about the great banquet that everyone was too busy to attend (Luke 14:15-24).   We talked about how God is calling us to feast with Him but we're too busy.   

He's good at placing just the right gospel story or Bible passage in her way on any given day.

Because He doesn't want her to live her life replacing Him for lesser things, for idols, for people, for stuff, goals, dreams, empty promises.   He wants to replace all of those things that are calling her and beckoning her to follow.   Not because He has an ego problem, but because He knows that all she needs is in Him.  

She was quiet.  She was the one reading it out but it was a little too close to home, especially after yesterday's private discussion in the car.  

This week I've quoted some verses for her and she has groaned.  

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Ps 37:3,4

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow (pursue) me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.  Ps 23:5-6

I didn't realise she'd already encountered them.  Oh dear.     She says I'm reading her mail.  And she's angry about that too.  

I'm not reading her mail, but God is.    He is pursuing her and she's finally becoming aware of it.   

I'm thankful that she is aware of Him, aware that He is pursuing her and she's becoming more and more aware that He's more determined than even her mother.    I'm thankful that He is obviously and consistently challenging her to replace me with Him.    I'm thankful that I am aware of how hard that is for her and that a lot of the anger I'm copping is about that, and not because I'm a lousy parent.  

I'm aware of the struggle because I've had to choose to replace my own coping mechanisms, lies, half truths, idols, heroes, goals, dreams, desires, failures, hiding places - with Him.   One by one, as each is revealed.   It's a continual struggle so I get it.  And it's quite terrifying at times.  

This is the place where I was making the same heart decisions, around the same age.  I wish I'd known back then what the choices were, and the consequences.  I didn't fully know, though I'm sure many back then said it, taught it, and have since.

But God has been faithful to me, even in the many years that have transpired since then, even when I've replaced Him time and time again with other people and things. 

Like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, we get the opportunity to replace each of those strongholds with Him, as we get a new revelation of Him at each crisis or turning point or decision point.   

And it's so worth it because each time, you realise how much more He is than all of those people and things.  

But will we?   Will we replace all the lesser things with Him?   That is the challenge.   

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has become His counsellor?”

“Or who has first given to Him

And it shall be repaid to him?”

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, 

to whom be glory forever.     Amen.     Rom 11:33-36

You are worthy of it all
You are worthy of it all
For from You are all things
And to You are all things
You deserve the glory