The view from my porch swing is lovely in May. Most of what I see here exists because I labored long and hard in this place- the peonies, the millstone fountain, the catmint too…but it is a fleeting thing, meant for decay and destruction. It is not mine to keep.
When my five children were small, I read somewhere that it was a good practice to imagine the thing one loves most in its destined state of destruction- the flower faded, the teacup smashed. It was an exercise in embracing the truth that this material world which we tend to hold so dear is fragile, fleeting, passing away.
In a world that is obsessed with consumerism, the disciple of Christ is presented with a different path. We are called to be wise stewards, to lovingly care for God’s creation…but to hold it all loosely.
So that our eyes and hearts might be fixed on Christ.
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)
