"I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me."
Psalms 13:6
I like this, not because it is always the way it feels, but because it is always the way it really is, no matter how it feels. And when we get to the point where we feel it enough to sing it, we are definitely on the right track. :)
We get twisted around sometimes and start blaming God for things or expecting God to fix things, and it is really either ourselves that we are mad at, down deep, because we got ourselves into a huge mess, or it is the world itself that we are angry with and want God to make things better for us without considering what is best for everyone else.
The world is definitely not always fun. Because God allows us our free agency, some people abuse that power and harm others. The answer to that though is not to force everyone to do the right thing. God can't withdraw free agency for some people and allow it for others and still have a balanced world with real choice between good and evil. Sometimes we want God to "fix" the world to make everything perfect, forgetting that the "fix" would also take away our own choices, and our divine potential.
The real fix I think is outlined in Jacob 5 and the parable of the Olive Trees: "wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow." And since we are the trees in that parable, that means that evil will be taken out of the world as *we* bring more good into it. There is a solution, but it is one that we have to work for... as really is proper, since we are here to learn to choose good and to explore our infinite potential. Sitting back and expecting God to solve everything isn't going to work. God, assuredly, will fight some of our battles--but only those ones that we can't fight ourselves, and until we try, we won't know which those ones are.
Learning is often hard. I'm not saying it isn't. I'm only saying that we keep wanting things to be other than they really are, and for things to be super easy, so we can basically skate through life with no effort. And things aren't that way, and the sooner we face that, the sooner we will be able to learn how God's plan really works, and allow our perspective to change, and we will be able to see the bounty that the Lord has really blessed us with, more abundantly than we could ever have reasonably expected. God knows that it is hard for us, and he is there for us, holding our hands through most of it, encouraging us to walk a few steps without support when we seem steady enough... keeping an eye on us through the toddler stage, so that we don't fall into the fire. Wanting God to make things easy is pretty much like saying that we never want to be potty trained or learn to walk, because those things are too hard. … And they *are* hard, but also necessary for us to grow and progress.
Today, let's talk to God and ask him to help us see things from his perspective a little more. It's okay also to ask for a little comfort and peace when we're overwhelmed, but then let's get back up and try again. Let's try to be less resentful, and work at learning and becoming more than we are, and start to realize how much the Lord loves us, and how bountifully he blesses us, every day. And if we get to that point where we can feel it, then it's okay to break into song about it. :)
Psalms 13:6
I like this, not because it is always the way it feels, but because it is always the way it really is, no matter how it feels. And when we get to the point where we feel it enough to sing it, we are definitely on the right track. :)
We get twisted around sometimes and start blaming God for things or expecting God to fix things, and it is really either ourselves that we are mad at, down deep, because we got ourselves into a huge mess, or it is the world itself that we are angry with and want God to make things better for us without considering what is best for everyone else.
The world is definitely not always fun. Because God allows us our free agency, some people abuse that power and harm others. The answer to that though is not to force everyone to do the right thing. God can't withdraw free agency for some people and allow it for others and still have a balanced world with real choice between good and evil. Sometimes we want God to "fix" the world to make everything perfect, forgetting that the "fix" would also take away our own choices, and our divine potential.
The real fix I think is outlined in Jacob 5 and the parable of the Olive Trees: "wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow." And since we are the trees in that parable, that means that evil will be taken out of the world as *we* bring more good into it. There is a solution, but it is one that we have to work for... as really is proper, since we are here to learn to choose good and to explore our infinite potential. Sitting back and expecting God to solve everything isn't going to work. God, assuredly, will fight some of our battles--but only those ones that we can't fight ourselves, and until we try, we won't know which those ones are.
Learning is often hard. I'm not saying it isn't. I'm only saying that we keep wanting things to be other than they really are, and for things to be super easy, so we can basically skate through life with no effort. And things aren't that way, and the sooner we face that, the sooner we will be able to learn how God's plan really works, and allow our perspective to change, and we will be able to see the bounty that the Lord has really blessed us with, more abundantly than we could ever have reasonably expected. God knows that it is hard for us, and he is there for us, holding our hands through most of it, encouraging us to walk a few steps without support when we seem steady enough... keeping an eye on us through the toddler stage, so that we don't fall into the fire. Wanting God to make things easy is pretty much like saying that we never want to be potty trained or learn to walk, because those things are too hard. … And they *are* hard, but also necessary for us to grow and progress.
Today, let's talk to God and ask him to help us see things from his perspective a little more. It's okay also to ask for a little comfort and peace when we're overwhelmed, but then let's get back up and try again. Let's try to be less resentful, and work at learning and becoming more than we are, and start to realize how much the Lord loves us, and how bountifully he blesses us, every day. And if we get to that point where we can feel it, then it's okay to break into song about it. :)
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