Unsettled
10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
1 Timothy 4:10
A quiet moment at the kitchen table, a half eaten yogurt in hand, had me surveying cupboards that didn't quite line up just straight and looking at paint that wasn't really a color that could be named, but a mix between brown and gray. I remember, for a long time, after we moved into this house still thinking to myself, this might never feel like home. We have been here for seven years now, approaching the longest amount of time throughout my life that I've ever lived in one place. And on an average morning, I looked around and realized, "Yep, this might actually have become my home".
That thought was followed up by one that had me wondering what God might have in store next. Everytime I ever remember being settled in one state or one house or remember that moment of thinking yep, this is home, God shook things up! This feeling of being jolted out of content is one that I have become quite familiar with, because, in so many ways, those moments have defined my life.
No, moving wasn't always easy. And yes, leaving behind contentment is hard, it's sad, and a lot of time it's scary. But in those moments of being forced to seek out a new adventure, I believe God was teaching me a most valuable lesson. Each of us, in our lives, need to be constantly evolving and changing. In various ways we struggle and aim to reach that moment where the stars align, the world is spinning perfectly, and everything is exactly as it was meant. And sure, from time to time, those moments find us, and for a second we feel like nothing in the world could be better. But the glory of those moments, I think, is that they don't last forever.
On the surface that exact thought can seem sad, almost depressing. Those moments, those glimpses of perfection in our life, come to an end. And the harsh reality is, it's so true. Think of the best moments in your life. Those moments where you found yourself believing wholeheartedly, "This is exactly where God wanted me".
Did those moments last forever? No, they couldn't. But why wouldn't God want us to have lives filled up with only moments of complete fulfillment? Why wouldn't He wanted us to be completely satisfied?
If I had lived my whole life in one house and in one state, sure I would have been content. Things would have been comfortable. I would have had the same group of friends, known all the teachers at school, and been familiar with all the ins and outs of the town. But the honest truth is, I'd never be the same person that I am today. God took me out of my "safe" place and stretched me. He allowed me to grow and explore and find things, and people, and moments I would have otherwise never known. In a real concrete way, God showed me that there is something so beautiful about feeling at home, but there is something so dangerous about it too. The moment we find ourselves thinking everything is great and that all is perfect, we run the risk of settling for less than we need out of life and less than what God has planned for us.
See God gives us these moments of perfection, so we know why we are living. But they cannot last forever because then we'd have no means, no drive, and no determination to grow. We wouldn't be willing to stretch any further. We wouldn't be willing to embrace the uncomfortable and the awkward for something greater. We wouldn't be able to find in our hearts the desire to follow God.
Each of us, is capable of bringing so much glory to the kingdom of God. The moment you find yourself believing that you have reached the final destination, that you've gone as far as you can go, and that this is all that God wanted for you, is the moment that you're wrong. God doesn't ever finish calling you to more. He doesn't ever say, "Well son, you did come this far, that's enough".
God doesn't settle for less. He wants all of you, forever. Don't find yourself believing that's He's finished with you. His dreams for you are endless. Keep pushing, keep striving, and keep believing that just being content is not enough!
Wake up everyday asking yourself, how can I change today, how can I do more, to become the person God is asking me to be?
1 Timothy 4:10
A quiet moment at the kitchen table, a half eaten yogurt in hand, had me surveying cupboards that didn't quite line up just straight and looking at paint that wasn't really a color that could be named, but a mix between brown and gray. I remember, for a long time, after we moved into this house still thinking to myself, this might never feel like home. We have been here for seven years now, approaching the longest amount of time throughout my life that I've ever lived in one place. And on an average morning, I looked around and realized, "Yep, this might actually have become my home".
That thought was followed up by one that had me wondering what God might have in store next. Everytime I ever remember being settled in one state or one house or remember that moment of thinking yep, this is home, God shook things up! This feeling of being jolted out of content is one that I have become quite familiar with, because, in so many ways, those moments have defined my life.
No, moving wasn't always easy. And yes, leaving behind contentment is hard, it's sad, and a lot of time it's scary. But in those moments of being forced to seek out a new adventure, I believe God was teaching me a most valuable lesson. Each of us, in our lives, need to be constantly evolving and changing. In various ways we struggle and aim to reach that moment where the stars align, the world is spinning perfectly, and everything is exactly as it was meant. And sure, from time to time, those moments find us, and for a second we feel like nothing in the world could be better. But the glory of those moments, I think, is that they don't last forever.
On the surface that exact thought can seem sad, almost depressing. Those moments, those glimpses of perfection in our life, come to an end. And the harsh reality is, it's so true. Think of the best moments in your life. Those moments where you found yourself believing wholeheartedly, "This is exactly where God wanted me".
Did those moments last forever? No, they couldn't. But why wouldn't God want us to have lives filled up with only moments of complete fulfillment? Why wouldn't He wanted us to be completely satisfied?
If I had lived my whole life in one house and in one state, sure I would have been content. Things would have been comfortable. I would have had the same group of friends, known all the teachers at school, and been familiar with all the ins and outs of the town. But the honest truth is, I'd never be the same person that I am today. God took me out of my "safe" place and stretched me. He allowed me to grow and explore and find things, and people, and moments I would have otherwise never known. In a real concrete way, God showed me that there is something so beautiful about feeling at home, but there is something so dangerous about it too. The moment we find ourselves thinking everything is great and that all is perfect, we run the risk of settling for less than we need out of life and less than what God has planned for us.
See God gives us these moments of perfection, so we know why we are living. But they cannot last forever because then we'd have no means, no drive, and no determination to grow. We wouldn't be willing to stretch any further. We wouldn't be willing to embrace the uncomfortable and the awkward for something greater. We wouldn't be able to find in our hearts the desire to follow God.
Each of us, is capable of bringing so much glory to the kingdom of God. The moment you find yourself believing that you have reached the final destination, that you've gone as far as you can go, and that this is all that God wanted for you, is the moment that you're wrong. God doesn't ever finish calling you to more. He doesn't ever say, "Well son, you did come this far, that's enough".
God doesn't settle for less. He wants all of you, forever. Don't find yourself believing that's He's finished with you. His dreams for you are endless. Keep pushing, keep striving, and keep believing that just being content is not enough!
Wake up everyday asking yourself, how can I change today, how can I do more, to become the person God is asking me to be?
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