"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
Colossians 2:8
What philosophy do you follow?
It is so incredibly easy to be taken captive by the philosophies of the world, of human tradition. They are there EVERY where we turn and before we even realize it they are so much a part of us that we don't recognize them for what they are hollow and deceptive.
I fall for them too!!!
We have a lovely home. It is more than adequate to fit our needs. But our boys share a room and they don't like that. They share a room because my husband needs a home office space. When he is in town, he offices from home, so the 4th bedroom is his office, and the boys share a room. My "office" (where I do my school work, my writing, my quiet time) is in the kitchen, the heart of our home, the loudest part of our home. I would like a space all my own too. But there simply isn't room for all these wants.
It would be easy to convince ourselves that we should consider getting a bigger home. It would be easy to justify "needing" a bigger home. We "deserve" a bigger home. Honestly, we could probably even afford a bigger home. But those wants and desires stem from human tradition, especially the American tradition. Those are very much worldly thoughts.
The idea that our family would be "happier" or "better off" in a bigger home is deceptive. It is not true. It is a hollow philosophy the world in general believes. But happiness, true happiness, the kind of happiness I pray for my family, will never come from stuff. Though I hope this kind of happiness is found in our home, it does not stem from the size of our home.
Our home is more than adequate to meet our needs. It is plenty big. Perhaps we will need to learn to share some space. Perhaps we will need to learn to be respectful of each other when one person needs some quiet (something that can be extremely difficult to come by in our house). But the truth is we do not need a bigger home. God has provided more than enough for us.
My children will try to convince me that fairness is of extreme importance. In all things we must treat each of our children fairly, the same as we treat the other two. They must each have the exact same number of snacks, sweet treats, hugs, activities, one on one time, or any other thing you might think of, or else it is "unfair". This fairness even stretches to the infamous "getting even" with their siblings when they have been teased, picked on or supposedly abused in some manner. In JT's terminology, he "gets kicked around!" They have to get even, otherwise it wouldn't be "fair". This is definitely a philosophy of human tradition, and it too is hollow and deceptive.
The truth is, life is unfair. Praise the Lord. Because if it wasn't, none of us would have eternal life with Christ. It is unfair that my perfect Jesus had to die because I can't get my act together. It is unfair that HE took the punishment for MY sin. Yes, life is unfair, I couldn't be more thankful that it is.
The world will tell you that revenge, litigation, retribution are fair and just, but that is hollow and deceptive. Forgive. Turn the other cheek. Live your life differently.
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
Colossians 2:8
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