My Self-Constructed Storm Cloud - God's Silver Lining
This morning, I heard something that was uniquely encouraging...
God is always up to something good.
Now, conceptually, the statement doesn't say anything that's necessarily shocking, but it presents the information in a way that perfectly captures how we relate and don't relate to God.
I mean, to say that God's up to something implies that He's being covert...sneaky, even. And, from our vantage point, doesn't it feel like that sometimes? Most of the time? For me, I have a constant pile of question marks that, to be honest, rarely get addressed. They're just there, and they fade in and out of prominence in my mind. Moreover, I'm seemingly most at peace when they're faded out. What does that say? Should I pray for mental oblivion? Well, perhaps going that far isn't the best choice. ;) Nonetheless, letting go of things, choosing not to fret over them, seems like a better goal. Hold on to that thought for a second...
Back to God being sneaky. When I'm in a foul spiritual mood, one of the most common thoughts that pops into my head is that God's holding out on me. I create the notion that I'm entitled to some level of knowledge, and God's withholding that knowledge for some reason. It's like those vicious group projects from high school. Of course, I'm the leader of the group, since I'm a control freak. ;) God's responsible for the research--the research that, at the end, I will magically craft into the final product. Anyway, from my twisted perspective, in those moments of bitterness, God's not bringing the goods. He's not doing His part to enable me to shine. If this was a group project, I'd just do the research myself, but that's not possible in this case. Oh, the streaks of pride that run all through that progression of thought! It's almost laughable.
But it's so true. I frequently think of the aspects of my life as some sort of project. And, since it's my life, it's my responsibility. I can make an A at my life if I'm not hamstrung by God. What an amazingly sad thing to think...that God hinders us. When the Enemy gets us to believe that God's working against us, or even just working separately from us, we're left with nothing of much worth to fend off feelings of isolation, ineffectiveness, and apathy.
And that brings us back to the idea of letting stuff go...of not having to understand...of simply living life, not trying to figure out life, not trying to plan life.
Now, "not trying to plan life" sure is a nice idea, but it sure doesn't seem like a feasible notion, does it? Life requires us to plan, to some extent. Nonetheless, the more things we can wrestle free from our grasp, the better that things will be. Why?
God is always up to something good.
It fits really well with a familiar verse I heard elsewhere this morning:
"Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6
It's not a sentiment for cynics, but it's pretty good for those who want hope. :)
God is always up to something good.
Now, conceptually, the statement doesn't say anything that's necessarily shocking, but it presents the information in a way that perfectly captures how we relate and don't relate to God.
I mean, to say that God's up to something implies that He's being covert...sneaky, even. And, from our vantage point, doesn't it feel like that sometimes? Most of the time? For me, I have a constant pile of question marks that, to be honest, rarely get addressed. They're just there, and they fade in and out of prominence in my mind. Moreover, I'm seemingly most at peace when they're faded out. What does that say? Should I pray for mental oblivion? Well, perhaps going that far isn't the best choice. ;) Nonetheless, letting go of things, choosing not to fret over them, seems like a better goal. Hold on to that thought for a second...
Back to God being sneaky. When I'm in a foul spiritual mood, one of the most common thoughts that pops into my head is that God's holding out on me. I create the notion that I'm entitled to some level of knowledge, and God's withholding that knowledge for some reason. It's like those vicious group projects from high school. Of course, I'm the leader of the group, since I'm a control freak. ;) God's responsible for the research--the research that, at the end, I will magically craft into the final product. Anyway, from my twisted perspective, in those moments of bitterness, God's not bringing the goods. He's not doing His part to enable me to shine. If this was a group project, I'd just do the research myself, but that's not possible in this case. Oh, the streaks of pride that run all through that progression of thought! It's almost laughable.
But it's so true. I frequently think of the aspects of my life as some sort of project. And, since it's my life, it's my responsibility. I can make an A at my life if I'm not hamstrung by God. What an amazingly sad thing to think...that God hinders us. When the Enemy gets us to believe that God's working against us, or even just working separately from us, we're left with nothing of much worth to fend off feelings of isolation, ineffectiveness, and apathy.
And that brings us back to the idea of letting stuff go...of not having to understand...of simply living life, not trying to figure out life, not trying to plan life.
Now, "not trying to plan life" sure is a nice idea, but it sure doesn't seem like a feasible notion, does it? Life requires us to plan, to some extent. Nonetheless, the more things we can wrestle free from our grasp, the better that things will be. Why?
God is always up to something good.
It fits really well with a familiar verse I heard elsewhere this morning:
"Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6
It's not a sentiment for cynics, but it's pretty good for those who want hope. :)
posted by Trey at
6:59 PM
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