“But godliness with contentment is
great gain.”
(1 Timothy 6:6 NIV)
Sometimes the Lord teaches us contentment by gently removing
whatever make us discontent. We don’t always know the source, but He does.
We are foolish and imperfect, greedy, grabby, never satisfied
with what we think we love. We imagine we can fill our empty hearts with
created things. Yet, sometimes when we receive what we asked for, we push it away
in disgust, like a tomato rotting on the vine.
God is the Master Sculptor. He takes your life, like a
pristine piece of stone or wood or ice, and chisels away tiny slivers to form
the perfect masterpiece, smoothing edges that don’t reflect the amazing work of
art he purposed you to become.
My son once told me that artists create sketches by first carefully
penciling many lines on paper. The desired result is then achieved by erasing all
the unnecessary lines. I read somewhere recently that a gifted author writes
down every word that comes to mind and then skillfully removes the ones not needed.
Do you feel like you are under the
- sculptor’s
chisel
- artist’s
eraser
- or
writer’s delete key?
Good news! God uses our discontentment. His perfection is
revealed in our unique imperfections.
He wants others to see Jesus more clearly through
- the
ghastly, gaping holes
- the
weary, worn-out places
- the
blasted, broken pieces
- the
silent, missing words of our lives.
Even though the battles with dissatisfaction will never end
in this life, we will become more experienced warriors. Internal conflicts are
good. They reveal the Holy Spirit’s presence in us, fighting with us. We face our
struggles courageously so we can encourage others in theirs.
I will learn to be content in my imperfections and point
others to Jesus today. I hope you will, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment