Something Else
Have you ever tried to assemble something only to find there were pieces missing? Then after struggling and cursing, you find you were mistaken. Nothing was missing at all. You were just missing a step in the directions.
Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people who have my teaching in your hearts; do not fear the reproach of others, and do not be dismayed when they revile you. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but my deliverance will be for ever, and my salvation to all generations. - Isaiah 51:1-8
What would make your life perfect? Is it more money, more time with family, more joy in your life?
For all of us, there is something we strive for that we feel we are lacking, and it becomes the focus of our existence. Instead, we should be focusing on what God provides for us and gives us freely, something far greater than anything we could seek here.
The irony is, if we take for granted what God gives through grace, we could lose it, and then where would we be?
We would be like the dog on the bridge carrying a bone in his mouth. He sees his reflection in the water and believes it to be another dog with another bone, so he reaches for it, and loses what he has.
I have always believed I should work hard to achieve more, but at this point in my life, what I work hard for is different. Now, instead of working for things I need, I work for things others need.
And that way, I don't lose the bone I carry.
More to come...