What do you long for?
Posted in Misti's Posts, peace 1 comments
The first few times I heard this song, the message upset me. I used to think, "Is it a good God that punishes us so He can bless us?" It seems a cruel concept that 'a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near.' I envy the people of the Old Testament like Moses, who heard God's voice audibly, because the silence I face and the guessing game I play trying to decide God's will are maddening.
My spiritual life has always been somewhat of a roller coaster. I experience wonderful highs and frustrating lows; it's more rare for me to be on an even keel. Recently, I've been experiencing one of those lows. As I've been walking through this time, I've come to appreciate Laura Story's song in a new way.
The key is in the following lyrics: 'the pain reminds this heart that this is not our home'. When we experience dissatisfaction in our lives, when nothing seems to make us truly happy (or gives us lasting happiness) this is God's way of reminding us that we don't belong here. It's His way to say, "Don't get too attached to this place, because I've got something so much more beautiful in mind for you." Think about it: if we were perfectly happy here on earth, what would be our motivation to want to live forever with God? We'd be spending all our time trying to figure out how to cheat death instead of walking in relationship with He who loves us more than humanly possible!
My spiritual life has always been somewhat of a roller coaster. I experience wonderful highs and frustrating lows; it's more rare for me to be on an even keel. Recently, I've been experiencing one of those lows. As I've been walking through this time, I've come to appreciate Laura Story's song in a new way.
The key is in the following lyrics: 'the pain reminds this heart that this is not our home'. When we experience dissatisfaction in our lives, when nothing seems to make us truly happy (or gives us lasting happiness) this is God's way of reminding us that we don't belong here. It's His way to say, "Don't get too attached to this place, because I've got something so much more beautiful in mind for you." Think about it: if we were perfectly happy here on earth, what would be our motivation to want to live forever with God? We'd be spending all our time trying to figure out how to cheat death instead of walking in relationship with He who loves us more than humanly possible!
1 comments:
Great point Misti! I've thought a lot about the issue of why God allows pain and there's just no single answer. The answer you shared from the song is one of the more encouraging answers and demonstrates (in my opinion) a mature walk with God. It reminds me of Phillipians 4:11 when Paul shares that he has "learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
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