********************************
“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.,” Mth. 6:32.
“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live,”
“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live,”
1 Thessalonians 5:18.
***********************************
***********************************
William was banging at the back door, which his father had just locked. “Go play,” we yelled in unison. Our boys were 4, 4, and 5 and we needed to talk, to reconnect. We needed them to play in their fenced yard for a half an hour. The day was bursting with beauty and toys were practically screaming “play with me!” His brothers were beckoning him to the pending war of tiny freeze framed green soldiers they’ve placed meticulously around the playground. What more could a little boy want? Yet all William wanted was what he could not have, to be on the other side.
He was so bent on getting inside, throwing a fit, his eyes were blind to all his surrounding blessings. William’s ungratefulness was blinding and robbing him of the joy he should have been experiencing. I was perplexed. I knew where this was going, he’d be inside for 5 minutes and then want to be back out; I’d been on this ride before and was no less car sick this time around!
As confounded as I was by William, later while talking with the Lord about this, I realized I do the same thing. I get in sharpshooter mode towards getting some shiny new thing, a thing I must have, then I forget to enjoy the blessings that surround me. That thing begins to consume the lion’s share of my attention. I throw a fit when it’s denied. Sure my fit is masquerading itself in acceptable adult garb, but a fit none the less. I focus solely on what I cannot have and find myself blinded to God’s goodness in countless other areas of my life.
I see this giant theme in Scriptures---if Jesus had screamed it, it couldn’t be any louder. THANKSGIVING! Over and over again He reminds us. He commands us to come to Him with thanksgiving first because He knows our temptation to want, want, want and need, need, need despite how much we are given. He knew there’d always be shiny new distractions pulling us away from Him. He knows the shiny new distraction makes what He’s already graciously gifted to us lack the appeal it once had on the store shelf. He wonders how many times we’ll repeat the cycle until we figure out that all our closets and toy chests are filled with things that once screamed for our attention. He’s asked me, ‘how many times will you ignore my abundant blessings in your life and push aside what was once shiny and new for a newer version?’
He was so bent on getting inside, throwing a fit, his eyes were blind to all his surrounding blessings. William’s ungratefulness was blinding and robbing him of the joy he should have been experiencing. I was perplexed. I knew where this was going, he’d be inside for 5 minutes and then want to be back out; I’d been on this ride before and was no less car sick this time around!
As confounded as I was by William, later while talking with the Lord about this, I realized I do the same thing. I get in sharpshooter mode towards getting some shiny new thing, a thing I must have, then I forget to enjoy the blessings that surround me. That thing begins to consume the lion’s share of my attention. I throw a fit when it’s denied. Sure my fit is masquerading itself in acceptable adult garb, but a fit none the less. I focus solely on what I cannot have and find myself blinded to God’s goodness in countless other areas of my life.
I see this giant theme in Scriptures---if Jesus had screamed it, it couldn’t be any louder. THANKSGIVING! Over and over again He reminds us. He commands us to come to Him with thanksgiving first because He knows our temptation to want, want, want and need, need, need despite how much we are given. He knew there’d always be shiny new distractions pulling us away from Him. He knows the shiny new distraction makes what He’s already graciously gifted to us lack the appeal it once had on the store shelf. He wonders how many times we’ll repeat the cycle until we figure out that all our closets and toy chests are filled with things that once screamed for our attention. He’s asked me, ‘how many times will you ignore my abundant blessings in your life and push aside what was once shiny and new for a newer version?’
*****************************
“Moved by the extravagance of God in your lives…Thank God for His gift, His gift. No language can praise it enough,” 2 Cor. 9:14-15.
“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,” Mth. 5:5.
*******************************
No comments:
Post a Comment