What did Jesus mean when he said it was hard for the rich young man to enter heaven? That he must be willing to leave everything...family and wealth and possessions? That it’d be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? I mean, seriously, a camel? Now that is a very descriptive word picture. A camel, humps and all, fitting through a tiny, tiny slot. Jesus really wanted to get his point ( no pun intended) across to those rascally disciples of His. They were dumbfounded because here’s this upstanding young man who has been blessed with riches and family, so therefore, all those blessings must mean he was in good graces with God, right?
Wrong. Earthly possessions, good fortune, a loving family, good health—all those are wonderful. But they are not indicative of our standing with God. Because all have sinned. And we are all wretched and lost and ugly were it not for His Son’s holy sacrifice. That was Jesus’ point. And Peter’s followup question, “yeah but we left it all for you” seems a bit presumptuous at first blush, but I think Peter, good ol doubting Peter, just wanted that little bit of reassurance. That his soul was safe.
So, great—the disciples are in, the rich guy is out, so what does that mean to me? In the eyes of the world I’m fairly rich—steady income, a nice home, good health, a beautiful family—does that mean my only ticket to heaven is to leave it all? Hate my family, abandon my possessions, give away my IRA, and move to Zimbabwe to live in filth with only one set of clothes? Not exactly. What I’ve discovered over the past few years is the tighter I hold on to things, and the more I set my family and successes above my love for God, and the more I attribute all my good fortune to my own efforts, well, all that just puts God in the passenger seat, or even the back seat. I love my husband. I adore my grandchildren. And I am so thankful we are not struggling day to day. And yes I’ve felt more than a twinge of pride when I got promoted or someone compliments my hair or my kids. I used to hold on to those things so tightly, and felt my happiness and my very will to live were dependent on relationships and things. God was, I’m embarrassed to say, not the source of happiness or the center of my life. Not even a close second.
And inside, I was miserable. The harder I tried to hold on to thing-centered happiness, the more I felt it slipping away. Same for relationships. I found myself unable to be thankful, happy, or even at peace. I cried. A lot. Then, three years ago , God broke me—emotionally, physically, and spiritually--and suddenly it was crystal clear. As broken as I was, I was finally whole. My world was falling apart, but I was all together. Because I finally realized my worth lay not in what I had or who loved me or how I felt. No, my worth lay in leaning completely on Jesus. And I “left” everything—daughters, grandkids, financial security, even mental wellbeing—for the sake of being Christ’s.
Not a bad trade off.
Not at all
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