Worship or Indignation?

Could this tree get any lower?

Last Sunday our Pastor preached from the book of Mark, chapter 14, about the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. The disciples were indignant and felt that the perfume would’ve been better used for sale and profit; then the money distributed among the poor.  I’m sorry to say I probably would’ve agreed with the disciples too, as our Pastor shared that the expense for this perfume was a year’s wages of work.

Our Alaskan Bible Church Front Entrance

What a challenging lot of thoughts rolled around in my mind as I thought about all this.  The Pastor continued to read in Scripture....

What was it that Jesus commended the woman for and corrected the disciples about?  The woman was worshipping Jesus by her action, however ridiculously expensive that was.  Her heart was right, only God could see that.  The disciples may have had a financially sound idea, but their hearts were full of indignation, not worship. 

Each one of the disciples could’ve very well given to the poor as part of their worship before God.  But it really wasn’t about that… it was the fact that God could see into their hearts past their sorry excuses and call it for what it was. 

To be indignant is to be “affected at once with anger and disdain; feeling the mingled emotions of wrath and scorn or contempt…”  Interestingly enough, Judas Iscariot arose after this gathering and betrayed Jesus in his anger.

Only God is able to see into the hearts of men.  We need Jesus and we need to worship Him.  It’s not about us and our selfish desires to appear more righteous than so and so.  What’s really in our heart?  The Scriptures are able to discern joint from marrow, Jesus was and is the Word, He is able.

Well, our church service got over, but I kept musing on this Bible Lesson of indignation.  Two days later I was driving on my way to my dreaded appointment with the Surgeon.  I say dreaded, because I knew what I was facing… another verdict of C-section only.  On the way there my little fireball began singing from the back seat, “Let the Lord have his way, in your life every day.  There’s no rest.  There’s no peace until the Lord has his way.”  I saw one way signs and yield signs and I have traveled this road of C-sections for the fourth time.  I laughed, prayed and committed it all into the Lord’s hands. 

That peace that passes understanding…… it’s real and it’s tangible and it was the least stressful Dr. appointment I’ve ever had.  Yes, May 29^th is my allotted surgery date.  My baby’s birth was already foreseen and chosen by God.  Isn’t that comforting?  Since I don't have any pictures of my trip to the Surgeon's office I thought you'd enjoy this reenactment upon our arrival at home.

Singing fireball at it again...

WOW this is loud, just doing what I saw the Dr. do today...

While driving to the Dr.'s. that day, the question the Pastor had asked on Sunday came to mind:  “What else in this world costs a year’s wages in one quick moment?”  I have an answer… a C-section, it’s ridiculously expensive. 

The indignation and perhaps just curiosity for others usually presents itself in a question, “Why in the world would you undergo that so many times or isn’t 2 or 3 kids enough?  When are you going to be done?”

Here’s the answer… the Bible says children are gifts from the Lord many times over.  Why would I not believe or trust Him at His word?  When we begin to suffer, we question, doubt and fear that maybe what God said isn’t really true…. 

Jesus assures us that everyday will have enough trouble of its own and He didn’t say this with a child on his lap.  When a child sat on His lap, He was instructing the disciples on how they would enter into the kingdom of heaven….”Unless you become like a child.” 

Have we learned somehow in our culture to despise our children and limit their influence in our lives?  How many of us at one time before we knew and understood the truth viewed children as a necessary experience but expensive on the pocket book?  I was born into this world, raised in church but had very worldly viewpoints on the true value of a child until I learned by reading Scripture what the truth is and it doesn’t change.

The book of Genesis and Malachi cannot be argued with… God wants godly offspring.  It takes raising and training up of children in righteousness to have godly children.  It’s written all throughout the Bible, these truths.  Just because the ungodly do get saved and do become godly later in life, doesn’t mean that we use that to excuse ourselves from the responsibility of raising our children to be godly now.

I choose the suffering of child birth because it is brief and it will pass, but children will last for an eternity.  The money part… ha ha just read my blog, listen to other Christians, they will all tell you the same thing.  God always provides and always will.  His grace is endless and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  Do you trust Him at His word?  I do.  I will.  I accept whatever He has for me.  C-sections are on His agenda, not mine. It’s His money and His way.  I’m finally O.K. with that.  I haven’t always been, sometimes I still want to fight, but then I realize it’s all in His control anyway and then I just let it go. 

For those of you still not convinced and view this as completely illogical… how about some math?

My husband and I are raising 6, nearly 7 children.  So let’s say that the average North American family raises 1-2 children each.  That makes my family equal to about 4-5 families worth.  We are actually the better stewards (I’m not bragging here, just stating some facts for back up.) and here are a few reasons why…

One mortgage payment, one home to heat, paint, fix, and repair to house 7 children…. versus 4 or 5 more houses times how many years of raising children for each of those families. 

Now, why would a few children in 4 to 5 different families be acceptable but not the 7 in my family?  Is that logical?

We now own three vehicles with no payments.   4 or 5 more families…. 10 or more vehicles

Insurance and gas associated with all those vehicles times 4 or 5 over 18 years….

The cost of food can be cheaper in bulk with far less energy to cook on one stove or oven than say 4 or 5 ovens.  Just a thought….

The cost of clothing is a huge savings as you compare the price of new versus used and how many years you can hand shoes and clothing down, including your cousins. 

Our cheese never goes moldy, sour cream lasts less than a week, yogurt even quicker, hardly any waste in our fridge.  I could go on and on about all the little things but you get the picture, just think about how much less energy and material wealth goes into raising more children under one roof. 

Please tell me what is illogical about this sort of math?

Maybe I should add one more thing just because I hear it so much…. Over population and running out of land and resources… Can I just say one thing?  Go drive the Alaskan Highway through Northern B.C.  You’ll just laugh the next time someone uses that line. 

Oh, forgot about the college affordability question: nobody can afford it, that’s why most people go into debt.  Who are we kidding?  Why are large families the only ones accused of being unable to afford a college education….We save the government tens of thousands of dollars by educating our children at home.  AND there are no tax breaks for us.

Have you ever checked into your local school district about how much money per child their school receives?  You’ll be shocked at the price of education these days… all those grade school years are costing the state more than a couple years of college down the road.  Don’t believe me, go look it up; you’ll be flabbergasted, guaranteed.

So, it’s all in how you look at it… who’s the one being fooled here?  Am I disillusioned or are you?  I’m not missing out on anything by having a wonderful lot of children.  I’m gaining daily and investing in eternity.  How about you?  Are you worshipping God fully or just in a socially acceptable North American Christian way? 

Only God can see in your heart:  Do you have indignation residing in your heart at the way some families have chosen to worship or do you rejoice in the truth, beauty and glory of God’s plan?  He’s not asking us all to break open a bottle of expensive perfume…. What He is asking is that we worship with a pure heart, Him alone, no matter the cost.