The Lord's Speaking on Dissatisfaction

Sometimes life really stinks! At least that is sometimes my perception. And I could make a very good case for myself, citing this and that while convincing most listeners that it is true. I am becoming more and more convinced that this way of thinking is a very unholy way to view our circumstances and our life. It is after all, listening to the Accuser not the stirrings of the Holy Spirit or the Word of Life. A couple of scriptures I read this week really confirmed this to me.

Psalm 90: 14 -- O satisfy us with Your mercy and loving-kindness in the morning (now, before we are older), that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Proverbs 31:27 -- She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, self-pity) she will not eat.

From the psalm, I was reminded that satisfaction can only come from receiving the Lord, not from how I rate my current life circumstances. I was also encouraged that happiness is available now, not at a time in the distant future, but this moment. What a shame to refuse His goodness and suffer so unnecessarily.

From the Proverb, I thought about my awesome responsibility as the keeper of my household and how there are so many choices I make that affect the way my kids are raised and whether my family is loved as God intended them to be loved. I had never thought of idleness as including discontent and self-pity, but I can certainly see how the two go hand in hand. When I am feeling sorry for myself and hating life, I have absolutely no motivation to play with the kids, clean, make dinner, you name it. I do become incredibly idle. I also saw how this woman refused to eat that idleness. It sounds like she may have wanted to, but refused to eat. That sounds like a choice to me. I want to be more conscientous of the daily choices I make.

Of course, there is one important point that has to be made. I can only muster up the ability to refuse to have self-pity out of my own strength for a very small time. I can maybe .... maybe... get by for one day laying it aside myself, but then I am off guard or something really catastrophic comes along and all is lost. I am defeated and back to square one. The only way a true victory can be made is by the Lord's strength. It actually takes His miraculous dealing with me to accomplish this task. And how I wish it were once for all times. He is good to humble us by allowing us to forget this is His business and showing us that the consequences of going on without Him is failure. Then we can see how we must choose Him again and surrender ourselves to His charge and care. Little by little the dross is purged from gold.

The truth is that the Lord in His mercy and kindness will allow me to endure many circumstances that I wouldn't choose for myself so that I may learn to depend on Him for satisfaction and contentment.

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasign splendor and from one degree of glory to another {for this comes} from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit. II Corinthians 3:18