You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy. Ephesians 4:24-26
Tim Hansel wrote in the wonderful little book, “Holy Sweat,” that we really aren’t so much human beings as “human becomings.” Every day we are becoming more and more the person we will be. The scary thing is that some people will actually become less than they are now by this time next week. But most of us want to become something more than we are now.
Most people today think of themselves on a spiritual journey. But most of us don’t know how to get there or even how to take the first step. So we do what we are told. Go to church. Go to a small group. Read your Bible. Pray. Do good things. If that is what we are supposed to do, then why do we so easily get bored, distracted, disillusioned? Why does worship sometimes lose its impact? Why does Sunday School fail to sparkle? We look around and wonder…is this it?
We begin a search for more….but only find something else. We long for something Holy to touch us, but we still come up empty. At the same time, we find that the things of the world have lost their appeal. We continue our search…this worship service, that worship service. This preacher, that preacher. This group, that group. This prayer, that prayer…. It goes on an on.
But let me tell you a secret…The answer to the divine discontent that makes you feel dissatisfied with your current spiritual life, that makes you feel hum drum with the way things are, that makes you feel that there is something more, is not something you will find out there in the world….The answer has already found you. God’s amazing grace longs to touch you as much as you long to touch it. God’s amazing grace is straining to touch you…to fill you…to give meaning to your life…to give you purpose…to make you feel whole, complete, useful…we simply need to be open to it.
That Divine Discontent you are a feeling might be a signal…a message from God…something urging you to move forward in your faith. Many of you are experiencing this right now. To move is to grow, and sometimes that is the hardest step
Christians for centuries have known how to take that next step. The path is so clear and right in front of you, and has always been. Like any new path though, taking the first step may seem difficult and hard, but it is also so full of possibilities! An adventure awaits!
Then, after that first step, you soon discover amazing beauty, exciting twists and turns…and the path keeps going.You look around the bend and you see breathtaking landscapes…and you stop to take it all in. But you can’t stay there…the path keeps going. You have to see where it leads. At times, the path may seem long and tedious, but at other times it pushes you up challenging hills and through dangerous valleys. You may choose to linger here and there, but the nudge of ‘keep going’ is always there. The exciting question of, “What’s next?” beckons you forward on your next step.
If trusted, this path at times will allow you to see and experience the fullness of what life has to offer. If worked on daily, it no longer becomes work…but becomes the very breath of life… a path that you hunger for and can’t live without. It literally becomes the pathway, not just for you to touch something beautiful, but for that beauty to touch and fill you.
This fall, I encourage you to take the next step on your path.
Every step you take brings you closer to God.
Check out the Next Steps brochure you should be receiving in the mail for opportunities to begin walking a different path.
This blog post will also appear in the August-September issue of Christ Church’s Reflections Magazine.
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Holy Discontent 