Our one thing left...

Just got back from a fun trip to Chicago with my hubby celebrating four years of marriage... I still have an image in my mind from the trip I'd like to share...

We saw many homeless and struggling people as we walked the city streets, some who were attempting to entertain, others who simply sat with a cup. But we saw one that became etched in my heart. We saw a man sitting near the sidewalk, clutching a beautiful dog to his chest. I can only assume it was his dog. The dog was resting quite peacefully, eyes barely open, content in this man's arms. The more I thought about this precious sight, the more I realized that this dog was probably the most important thing in the man's life. And the man was the most important thing in the dog's. They only had each other. They were hanging on for dear life.

This brought me to tears and a few thoughts...

If we were stripped to nothing but one thing, that thing would suddenly probably became the most important thing in our lives. What if I lost my entire family and home to the Japan tsunami? All I would have left is God. Would I suddenly cling to Him for dear life, putting my everything in to Him and wanting His everything for me? Of course I would. Do I do that now? I am ashamed to say I do not. God is really, truly all we have. The earth will pass away. Our possessions and relationships do not belong to us. They belong to God, and will eventually be taken from us. Are we clutching God tightly to our chest, knowing He is our only fulfilllment, He is our only completely satisfying relationship? He is not just how we can survive, but how we can thrive.

There's something beautiful about coming to a place of brokenness and desparation and seeing the one thing you still have in a new light... The homeless man in Chicago only had his dog. Tom Hanks' character in Cast Away only had his volleyball, "Wilson," on a deserted island. We saw when the ball drifted away in the ocean, Tom's character had an emotional meltdown. He cried out for Wilson. He risked his life trying to rescue him. When he knew he couldn't, he returned to his raft and wept. He wept from the depths of his soul for a volleyball with a face.

There's something beautiful about friendships like that. Even between a man and a ball. It's a friendship with an unshakable bond derived from absolute brokenness.

Perhaps we are all too content with all our stuff. Perhaps we need to be more broken. Perhaps we we need to go through more wildernesses. Maybe a reminder that God is all we have would help us to really treat and love Him as if it were true.

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