Refusing To Let The World Corrupt You

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means carrying for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

This one sentence changed my life for ever.  This bit of information, or warning, given by James is what has taught me the most about life, myself and the most amazing power and love that God has for us all.  But today as I read it I also am learning that I still have so far to go.  Yes, I invite foster children into my home and I try my hardest to love them and care for them just like I do my own children.  Some days it is very easy, and others it's the hardest thing I've ever tried to navigate.  There are children who have brought me so much joy and then there are children who have brought me difficulties and heart ache.  I have had to learn to trust in God as my source of strength and comfort sometimes minute by minute.  Unfortunately, I will admit there are times that I have probabably given up too soon and there was a time when I just wanted to stop because the hurt was too much.  Through all of my ups and downs, God has had to show me His most amazing peace when there were times I thought I might just die saying good bye.  

I realize all of these feelings are normal.  All of the struggles come with some kind of emotion and all of the joys will leave me missing certain children.  This calling will not always end well or bring me happiness and an easy road just because I am willing.  No, the truth is, there are very hard emotions that come with fostering.  Ugly emotions that I'm not proud to admit I can produce.  I have gone through grief and all the stages that exist through losing a child.  I have felt relief when a child has left my home and I have struggled multiple times to remember that hurt causes hurt, and the things some children do come directly from the pain they have experienced and the ways in which they have adapted just to stay alive.  

I am not perfect, which brings me to the reason for this blog.  James mentions, in this scripture above, to care for widows and orphans, and in the same breath he tells us not to let the world corrupt us.  So to be pure and genuine in God's sight we should care for those who need help and not be corrupted by the world.  I let the first part of this scripture change my life but I never gave the second part much deep thought, until I recently caught myself falling into a trap.  When we are helping others, whether it be fostering, adopting, taking care of widows or anyone in need, we are putting our lives aside to put another's needs first.  James knew that puting other's first was of God and not of this world.  What is the one thing this world tells us today through technology, self help books, commercials and a whole slew of exercise and diet fads?  The world, the part that satan rules, is all about helping ourselves.  Now I won't completely condem exercise and diet, it is very important to care for ourselves since as christians we are the body of Christ and we are His temple.  My bigger concern is that the exercise and diet become our gods and we spend more time on that than we do helping others and growing in relationship with God.  (But this could be a blog in itself)  

The trap I see myself falling into is when I take my eyes off of Jesus and I start to look at the world.  I start to see how "easy" other people have it.  I start to wish I had more personal time, less stress, more time with just my own kids.  I let the world tell me I deserve a vacation, I deserve a break, I deserve an easy life, or my marriage will struggle.  I start to believe the lies that I can't do this hard life.  I hope by now you are seeing where I am going with this........James knew that by putting our lives aside and helping others it would only be a matter of time until we would start letting the world corrupt us.  He knew it would be difficult and cause us confusion and distress.  He was warning us that if we lived for others we would get tired and look for answers in the wrong places.  When we start taking our eyes off of Jesus and look around at the world, we start to stumble.  Friends, I am the queen of stumbling!!  I fall daily but I refuse to stay down.  I know we all want to get this life right!  Don't let the world corrupt you when you are doing what you know deep down is from God, because I guarantee that when God lays something on your heart satan is going to try to stop you with his lies and corrupt ways.  Keep your focus on Jesus!  Don't do it alone!  Ask friends to help keep your focus on Jesus, write this scripture on your heart and post it to every wall you look at!  

Dear God, I can't live out the first command in this scripture without taking seriously the warning that follows.  James knew that I could not give myself away without satan trying to get me off track with his enticing lies.  Help me to keep my eyes firmly on You.  Amen