This morning I was reading Peter Rollins' book “The Orthodox Heretic”.  In it he writes a parable called “Mansions” in which some disciples and Jesus are sitting around a campfire talking about the future kingdom in heaven.  They talk about the mansions and streets of gold, and how amazing it is.  One by one they all drift off to sleep until there is but one disciple left awake with Jesus.

The disciple asks Jesus a question.  He admits that he doesn’t know much about mansions and in fact has never been in one or seen one.  He asks Jesus if there will be any room in heaven for a simpleton like himself.  Jesus then looked at the man with compassion and answered,

“Don’t worry, tucked away in a tiny corner of heaven, away from all the grand mansions and streets of gold, there is a cramped little stable.   It doesn’t look like much inside or out, but on a clear night you can see the stars shine bright amidst the cracks, and you can feel the warm breeze caress your skin.  In this kingdom, that is where I live, and you would be welcome to live there with me.”

It is so easy sometimes for me to get wrapped up in security.  I desire the right home, the right job, the right life.  Instead, as Rollins’ points out in his story, we can easily miss that “a life of simplicity is not contrary to the wealth of faith but is part of its very outworking.”  We so easily embrace and spiritualize the message of the world that acquisition of wealth, power, and authority is where we should focus.  We apply these principles to our spirituality and end up denying the true richness we have available in the kingdom for what he calls “the poverty of affluence.”

This interesting dialectic questions where our true wealth lies and reminds us that our earthly achievements are rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of our father in heaven.

Thanks go to God for this awesome reminder that I too easily focus on the wrong things.