Thoroughly Contaminated

This morning, as I was eating breakfast, I saw my wife's copy of Sew Beautiful by Martha Pullen. As I'm interested in photography, I decided I'd look for the name of the photographer who took the wonderfully done cover photo. (No, I'm not gay or anything. It's my wife's magazine, remember.)

Flipping through the pages, carefully looking for the small print info I sought, I stumbled on the "Dear Friends" page - essentially the letter from the editor written by Mrs. Pullen and included in every edition. However, in this magazine, the letter from the editor takes the form of a short Bible study, complete with printed Bible verses (James 3:7-12 in edition 102). I had not yet had a quiet time this morning, so I read through the article as my study for the day. It was a great lesson on taming the tongue, with personal anecdotes about her father (who apparently did well in this area) and her grandfather, a circuit-riding Methodist minister.

After reading through the devotional, I thought about Mrs. Pullen. How she's obviously very interested in sewing and smocking and in teaching others, and how cool it must be to have her own business (a magazine, no less!) that follows her interests so closely. And I thought how good her business skills must be to have achieved that level of success.

But then I realized just how my last thought smacked of a materialistic (godless) worldview. It really surprised me that I had just held that opinion. Of course Mrs. Pullen is enjoying the blessings of God and the benefits of a life devoted to Him. Even in the secular world business skills are no real indicator of success; we as Christians know why. Mrs. Pullen has apparently been God's servant for many years, and continues to use her media reach to give Him glory. Since her will is aligned with that of God, He continues to bless her in order to further their mutual goals.

So why did I give her credit?

I realized (once again) just how thoroughly contaminated we are with the godless worldview. I continue to be surprised at just how warped my conception of life really is. I believe in God; that He created the world in six literal days' time, that man disobeyed God and fell from created perfection, and that God in His love inflicted our punishment on His Son so He could restore us fully one day. But those central pillars of belief seem to have made little headway into my day-to-day thinking.

I honestly wonder what it would be like if I managed to demonstrate the knowledge of God in every little area of my life. Would my wife think I was crazy? Or would she be amazed that dishes, laundry, and trash were no longer an issue? What would my boss at work think if I had every project on-time and bug-free? (I have known for years that it is God, not me, who writes the software. And He writes it through me most quickly when I'm close enough to Him that He can use my hands.)

This morning I realized (again) that I have much to do, much to learn, and much to unlearn.