“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
― M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth
PSALM 88-89
The Psalmist is frustrated in what feels to be the absence of God...
46How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
52Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen. (89:46-52)
ROMANS 10
Paul states that righteousness that is sought for its own sake is not of God...
JOURNAL
I find often I crave to find an answer that will cure all ills, make me happy, successful and that allows me to live in "paradise" every day of my life. I want a magic potion, a magic pill, the fountain of youth etc. etc. on and on it goes. I saw this play out right in front of my eyes today while throwing to my son in the cage. He is a few days from going back to school and has been working on some tweaks in his swing. The last couple of days things really connected for him and he felt really good about his progress. Then today happened and everything was off. He was extremely frustrated...bats were flying...muffled yells and you would have thought that life was over. He couldn't get over that fact that just yesterday everything clicked and today everything was off.
It hit me in that moment that this microcosm of time represents our lives as humans. Everyday things change...what worked so well yesterday is not working today. We yell and get angry and pissed and wonder why it can't just all work the way we want it to. And there is the reality staring me right in the face. I want life to work out the way I want it. When it doesn't I get pissed and either try to fix it or console myself in some other way. When I resort to solutions that leave obedience to God out of the equation or using God to manipulate a solution I am stepping into sin and further exacerbating my misery.
Why does it always have to be so hard? Because that's life, I am created to be wholly dependent on God. When I rebel from that I step into big, big problems. Most importantly I attempt to step out of myself...and begin searching for anything and everything that will help me get what I want. I don't want to deal with struggle and frustration and the hard work that comes with obedience to God. I want a short cut to peace and happiness and there are times when I want it no matter the cost. This is sin 101... this is the lie...this is the reality that lurks in the dark every day of my life. Yet once I accept that life is hard and will always be hard then trusting God becomes desirable rather than something to avoid. Yet accepting this reality is much easier said than done. Thank God for his grace and mercy. For without it...I dare not think what life would be...
It hit me in that moment that this microcosm of time represents our lives as humans. Everyday things change...what worked so well yesterday is not working today. We yell and get angry and pissed and wonder why it can't just all work the way we want it to. And there is the reality staring me right in the face. I want life to work out the way I want it. When it doesn't I get pissed and either try to fix it or console myself in some other way. When I resort to solutions that leave obedience to God out of the equation or using God to manipulate a solution I am stepping into sin and further exacerbating my misery.
Why does it always have to be so hard? Because that's life, I am created to be wholly dependent on God. When I rebel from that I step into big, big problems. Most importantly I attempt to step out of myself...and begin searching for anything and everything that will help me get what I want. I don't want to deal with struggle and frustration and the hard work that comes with obedience to God. I want a short cut to peace and happiness and there are times when I want it no matter the cost. This is sin 101... this is the lie...this is the reality that lurks in the dark every day of my life. Yet once I accept that life is hard and will always be hard then trusting God becomes desirable rather than something to avoid. Yet accepting this reality is much easier said than done. Thank God for his grace and mercy. For without it...I dare not think what life would be...
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
- 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
- 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
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