from journal entry, july 26th of 2008
all my life i've heard contentment mentioned in conjuction with peaceful words...solace. rest. waiting. ease. solitude. quiet joy. stillness. quenching.but it has taken me all my life to realize that contentment is not a state of being achieved by merely embracing any of those words.honest contentment takes real, and hard, work.
all my life i've heard contentment mentioned in conjuction with peaceful words...solace. rest. waiting. ease. solitude. quiet joy. stillness. quenching.but it has taken me all my life to realize that contentment is not a state of being achieved by merely embracing any of those words.honest contentment takes real, and hard, work.
the effort to every day stand before God, no matter what circumstanceshe's allowed to surround you, and say, "it's all about you."the struggle it is to kneel before God, when things are excrutiatingly difficult, and say, "your will be done."the soul-wrenching requirement, when every single thing you hold dearis stripped away, to lay at his feet and say, "you've given, and you've taken away.blessed be your name."and then when you are there in his presence, having nothing in your hands butyour own sin and misery and short comings, bringing nothingof any value before the throne, he cleanses your guilt-stained hands.the moment your soul cries out...take this world, give me Jesus...
he's opened the eyes of your heart. and you see, clearly now, that contentment was never something "achievable" on your own terms.refining fires. true work of the spirit. "if i live, i praise him. and if i die, i praise him."
there are no pronouns rich enough for that brand of contentment.
*humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. be sober-minded; be watchful. your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. and after you have suffered a while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. to him be the dominion forever and ever. amen.
(1 peter 5:6-10)
*humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. be sober-minded; be watchful. your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. and after you have suffered a while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. to him be the dominion forever and ever. amen.
(1 peter 5:6-10)
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I know this post could very easily be interpreted as a filler, to try and cover my laziness. But after a very bad day (think Fuel on performance-enhancing drugs), I re-read some of my older journal entries. And I see just how much God has faithfully brought about.
...and my heart, my silly little heart, is content.
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