The Curse of “Blessings”
America’s
number one health issue is our weight. A growing percentage of us are
too fat with more and more qualifying for that ‘not so nice’ label -
obese. It’s not just an appearance thing. Diabetes and heart disease are
triggered, in part, by poor diet and weight gain. Our worn-out knees
protest those extra 20 pounds they have supported for too long. And all
this is because of our abundant supply of cheap, fat-laden food coupled
with all those devices that eliminate physical labor. Our blessings are
too often a curse! (Before you write an angry protest note to me, let me
acknowledge that some of us struggle with DNA that turns lettuce into
fat cells!)
The
same principle applies in our spiritual and emotional lives, too. It is
possible to manage our lives in such a way that we can avoid dealing
with the very difficulties that make us mature disciples and people of
real character.
Rather
than wrestle through depressing situations we can numb ourselves with
drugs. If life gets hard, we can escape into the fake world of TV, drawn
into the lives of ‘heroes’ that allow us a virtual life that bears no
resemblance to anything real. Our indulgent culture allows us to walk
away from situations we do not like without shame.
Bad marriage? No need to work hard to make it better. Get a divorce and start over.
Family problems? Just stop talking to them and move on.
Church conflict? Pull up stakes and move to a congregation down the road.
(Once again, before you send those angry notes accusing me of not understanding your unique situation,
please know that I realize there are good times to medicate, there are
abusive marriages that must end, and there are toxic families that won’t
get better.)
My
point is that we have many options and are often prone to choose the
road that offers us the quickest route to happiness, which
short-circuits the growth process. Our blessing of self-determination
becomes a curse.
I
don’t like to admit it, but the truth is that most of time my faith
deepened only under pressure. I pray best when I am driven to my knees
by things beyond my control. I trust God more when I have no other
apparent way to turn. If you think I am particularly un-spiritual, take a
look at this prayer written 3000 years ago: “Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the
LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my
God." (Proverbs 30:7-9, NIV) When the sun shines, when my wife
loves me, when my bank account has a surplus; I am tempted to
congratulate myself, not to kneel in humble thanks. Sad, isn't it? But,
it is part of our fallen human nature.
Jesus taught about the deception of wealth, too. “I
tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
(Matthew 19:23-24, NIV) As long as a person can create the illusion of
self-sufficiency, he will! The more wealth a person has, the greater the
temptation to try to buy satisfaction, solutions, and solace. The very
blessings that enrich us in one way, may will impoverish in another.
- Would you allow God to lead you along steep, narrow paths if you knew those things could bring you to a greater love for Him?
- Would you invite tests and trials if you knew they would be the soil in which a greater faith would take root?
Let’s
take time to honestly look at ourselves and examine our love for the
easy road. Then, with a desire for the eternal best over the present
good, let’s pray “give me my daily bread.”
_____________________
Blessings
We pray for blessings,
We pray for peace, comfort for family,
Protection while we sleep;
We pray for healing, for prosperity,
We pray for Your mighty hand
To ease our suffering;
And all the while, You hear each spoken need,
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things.
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom,
Your voice to hear.
We cry in anger, when we cannot feel You near.
We doubt Your goodness,
We doubt Your love,
As if ev'ry promise from Your Word is not enough.
And all the while You hear each desp'rate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe.
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if my greatest disappointments,
Or the aching of this life
Is a revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?
And what if trials of this life
The rain the storms the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?
Laura Story
© 2011 New Spring (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)
Laura Stories (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)
CCLI License # 810055
No comments:
Post a Comment