32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Dear God, the phrase “joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property” in verse 34 caught my eye this morning. It reminds me of passion lost.

I was on a bike ride yesterday and listening to a song by Charlie Peacock called “Monkeys at the Zoo.” It’s a weird title, but here is the first verse:

Will it be different now, or the same
Will I have learned anything
Or was it just a way to spend a day or two
Set aside for thinking thoughts about You.
If that’s all it was, I had a good time…

One time I was on my way to a retreat when this song came on my radio. I realized how perfectly it describes the retreat/mountain top process. We often get off somewhere like that and really feel your presence, but do things change later? Will we have learned anything? So Charlie, in the chorus, purposes in his heart to do it right this time:

But that won’t be enough for me
Not this year, not anytime soon
I have got to clean house
Gotta make my bed, got clear my head
It’s getting kind of stuffy in here
Smell sorta funky too, like monkeys at the zoo
I’ve been whoring after things
Cuz I wanna feel safe inside
That’s a big fat lie
No amount of green, gold, or silver
Will ever take the place of the Peace of God
Spirit, come flush the lies out
Spirit, come flush the lies out

So I don’t know if I have any retreats in my near future, but I know I am in constant need of renewal. Father, help to renew my soul. Renew my spirit. Spirit, come flush the lies out. Spirit, come flush the lies out.