Something isn't right

Something that has become quite apparent to me after viewing ad after ad on TV, in the magazines, and on social media is the fact most of us seeing these ads had absolutely no idea we actually "needed" or "wanted" this stuff until we saw it! Have you ever seen those little videos featuring some product they 'found' on some shopping site and didn't know they needed? That's what I am talking about. It is just like us humans to be content with what has worked for so long until we see the next amazing device and then our appetite is whet! We want it! Wouldn't it just dazzle God to no end if we had such a tremendous desire for the things he reveals to us of his power, grace, and truth?

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. (Matthew 5:5)

The ads cultivate a sense of "need" for somethings we had no previous desire for - in other words, they cultivated our discontent!
Sensing the "next move" in your life is a little different from having a sense of discontent, though. Discontent really is a restlessness coupled with a craving for something you don't have - even when you might not actually need it. In one sense, discontent has a positive effect - it gets us up off our posterior end and gets us moving toward what it is we see as our need. We need to tap into our discontent - but only as far as it leads us into the things God has purposed for our lives. If I was married and I no longer found the "love of my life" to meet my "needs", it would be totally wrong for me to allow this discontent to drive me to find a new mate or to have an affair. That would be using my discontent to drive me in the direction of my flesh, not my spirit. When we allow God to direct our contentment, he also influences the sense of discontent we might experience in life. In turn, the discontent drives us toward the things of the Spirit he desires for us to engage with and incorporate into our lives. In this sense, discontent is a good thing - it drives us closer to God.

Learning to rely less upon what makes us content and focusing on what might actually be the object of our discontent may not seem like a big deal at first, but if we are to accurately respond to our discontent, we need to focus on it. The issue arises when we focus on our discontent apart from the advice and guidance of scripture, mature brothers or sisters in the Lord, and good biblical counsel. We cannot figure out our discontent on our own - we need God's oversight in order to evaluate the source, the potential ways of dealing with it, and how it will impact our lives once we deal with it. Just sayin!

True to your word....

There aren't too many of us who can honestly report we are 'true to our word' all the time. We might intend to live with integrity and not make empty promises, but truth be told, we all struggle with saying things we will eventually forget or not find significant enough to focus our energies on any longer. The commitment may have been made, but that promise kind of takes the backseat when something more 'urgent' comes along. It is a good thing God doesn't get distracted by the 'urgent' and forget his promises toward us! His word is true and consistent - not moved by the distractions of life. One of the most significant ways he keeps his word is when he gives us space to just breathe a little in life. Space to catch our breath comes in many forms, even when we find the going is tough and the way seems to be riddled with all manner of things trying to get us down or off course.

God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. (Psalm 23:1-3 MSG)

God's delight is to lead us straight into those places where we can 'bed down' and recover. We all need 'recovery time' in life. Not all of life is going to go as we had planned, nor as we would even imagine. Sometimes life will send us a curve ball and we will not see it coming. We cannot plan for all the inevitabilities in life. The moment we think we can, that is the moment we most need to come away and just enter into that place of rest and 're-centering' - because we have lost sight of who is actually to be in control of our lives! God gives us time to catch our breath, not to hinder our progress in life, but to ensure we have what we will need in order to continue to make progress. 

Want to be in a place where you honestly find yourself saying you don't need a thing? What a place that would be, huh? To be in a place of contentment so deep that you cannot even think of one more thing you need! That place is in his presence. When we finally stop long enough, get quiet enough, and just begin to enter into that rest he has prepared for us, we find ourselves not looking at what we can gain, gather, create, etc. We find ourselves just easing into the enjoyment of being enveloped by his presence and love. We find the waves of grace bring renewal - the strokes of love's gentle hand begin to heal us.

Not all is known, but somehow it doesn't matter when we enter into that place of rest he has prepared. We stop 'mulling' those thoughts that have haunted us and we just turn our eyes fully into his. There we find his heart ministering to the complexity of anguish our minds manage to create. The Lord's wisdom becomes known and we walk away with our anguish lifted. Truly there is no other place where we can find rest for our bodies, renewal for our spirits, and regeneration of our minds. Why resist such a place - why resist his love? Never forget this - God is true to his Word. He will give us time to catch our breath, but we need to enter into that place he has prepared for that rest! Just sayin!