Surrounded by Babylon

Oh God, who made the summer and warmed the earth with beauty,
Warm our hearts with gratitude and devotion to our duty,
For in this age of violence, rebellion, and defiance
We've forgotten the true meaning of dependable reliance-
We have lost our sense of duty and our sense of values, too,
And what was once unsanctioned, no longer is taboo,
Our standards have been lowered and we resist all discipline,
And our vision has been narrowed and blinded to all sin-
Oh, put the summer brightness in our closed, unseeing eyes
So in the careworn faces that we pass we'll recognize
The heartbreak and the loneliness, the trouble and despair
That a word of understanding would make easier to bear-
Oh God, look down on our cold hearts and warm them with Your love,
And grant us Your forgiveness which we're so unworthy of.

-Helen Steiner Rice

As I click on and off of Ebay or Craigslist looking for the best deal for the coolest new stuff I realize my deep seeded need for stuff. Our generation seems to have fallen prey to the 'gotta have it now' syndrome. At every turn we can make a million decisions. With a click of the mouse we can outfit our children, cars, home, and ourselves. Even as I write this I see the impatience of my kids as their favorite show is on and they want me to turn it on 'right now!' How did this happen?
My DD and I have been reading the "Little House" books. It's almost like another planet. To have a 'Ma' that makes everything in the house and a 'Pa' that is home every night to read stories and play a song on the fiddle to help all go to sleep. My favorite stories are the Christmas ones. The pure excitement and gratitude by all for a handmade pair of mittens, ONE peppermint stick, and maybe a button string. Can you imagine giving your child one piece of candy and it absolutely MAKING their Christmas? I know we've all become so commercial that it just wouldn't fly. What about a homemade Christmas? I have come up with every excuse in the book why I can't finish one project let alone all presents for an entire family.
Well, the end all be all is that we have become desensitized to many things. One of those is society versus what is right by God. So I challenge everyone to take a minute and think things through. Does my child or I need that one more toy? Should I expose myself to that show or is that one just not really what I should be watching? For a absolutely wonderful detailed look at what God says about integrity in a Babylon, I encourage all to check out Beth Moore's bible study on Daniel. I've just finished it and I can say that I've learned so much. I pray it is stuck tight in my heart and that you may all get an idea without condemnation about our 'gotta have it now' mentality!


In his name,

Lisa