Jen Hatmaker's Seven

A challenge regarding wealth, specifically in the context of Matthew 19:23-24.


"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Who are the rich?  Me?  Am I a rich person?  Am I a camel being kept from the eye of the need because my riches keep me from blessings that God intends for me?  Does my tight grip on my money and my possessions keep me away from those blessings and the real kingdom of God?  What opportunities am I creating for my kids to see us meet real needs in real ways?

Jen once spoke at a women's retreat and asked the women there to take off their shoes and leave them at the foot of the cross in order to share their blessings (their shoes) with those who do not have any.  I loved this story because it was about thinking outside of the box.  It's easy for me to be so narrow minded that I miss the need right in front of me.  I tithe each month or I think about going on a mission trip but I don't stop to see how God might be wanting to use me or my resources today, in THIS moment.  How often do I have something extra that I really don't need, that I desire to get rid of, but instead of giving it away, I sell it?  How often do I only donate my cast offs (ie my still have life in them but really not my best stuff) rather than giving away something that was really like new?