Deep thoughts, though not by Jack handy
So... here's some thoughts that have been on my mind lately:
1. True contentment comes, not from having desires fulfilled, but from having faith that whatever God gives you is good.
2. Desires are on our hearts for a reason, not so that we can pine over the specifics, but so that God's will can be worked in his plan for our life and in who he is growing us into, and we can have faith that his goodness is what will fulfill those desires. In otherwords, I shouldn't pine over who I'm going to marry, rather, I should trust that God will bring me a wife someday who will blow my expectations out of the water, simply because she is part of God's good plan for my life.
3. Adventure comes, not from where you go or what you do, but from faith in Christ leading you into action. I can cross the Sahra on a camel and meet strange new cultures and have a blast doing it, but if the only purpose is for my own excitement, then it is ultimately empty and pointless. However, I can go talk to someone about Christ in Old Town, and it is obeying the Great Commission, therefore obeying Christ's command, and it is purposeful and satisfying, and even in the face of persecution, I can rejoice in the goodness of God.
4. Who I am is not defined by what I do. Who I am is defined by who I serve. What am I given to? What do I allow my passions to be used for? Where is my focus? What purpose do I serve in relationships (in otherwords, do I seek my own good or the good of others?) I don't need to compare myself to others or be jealous over something that I have no control. I can, however, be thankful for who God made me to be, and rejoice in the fact that I am loved by God, first and formost, and that I am unique, fearfully and wonderfully made (and I'm nothing more than dust, really).
5. Romance isn't everything. Infatuation is not enough ground to persue someone. God can move in a person's heart, but he does not grant instant gratification with anything. He does, however, provide patience and vision in time, if I seek him and if, through prayer and petition, in thankfulness, seek his will. God may well be preparing a wife for me, he may not. God may well be preparing me for a wife. He may not, either way, he is causing me to become more Christ-like, which is what a good husband really is in the end anyway.
1. True contentment comes, not from having desires fulfilled, but from having faith that whatever God gives you is good.
2. Desires are on our hearts for a reason, not so that we can pine over the specifics, but so that God's will can be worked in his plan for our life and in who he is growing us into, and we can have faith that his goodness is what will fulfill those desires. In otherwords, I shouldn't pine over who I'm going to marry, rather, I should trust that God will bring me a wife someday who will blow my expectations out of the water, simply because she is part of God's good plan for my life.
3. Adventure comes, not from where you go or what you do, but from faith in Christ leading you into action. I can cross the Sahra on a camel and meet strange new cultures and have a blast doing it, but if the only purpose is for my own excitement, then it is ultimately empty and pointless. However, I can go talk to someone about Christ in Old Town, and it is obeying the Great Commission, therefore obeying Christ's command, and it is purposeful and satisfying, and even in the face of persecution, I can rejoice in the goodness of God.
4. Who I am is not defined by what I do. Who I am is defined by who I serve. What am I given to? What do I allow my passions to be used for? Where is my focus? What purpose do I serve in relationships (in otherwords, do I seek my own good or the good of others?) I don't need to compare myself to others or be jealous over something that I have no control. I can, however, be thankful for who God made me to be, and rejoice in the fact that I am loved by God, first and formost, and that I am unique, fearfully and wonderfully made (and I'm nothing more than dust, really).
5. Romance isn't everything. Infatuation is not enough ground to persue someone. God can move in a person's heart, but he does not grant instant gratification with anything. He does, however, provide patience and vision in time, if I seek him and if, through prayer and petition, in thankfulness, seek his will. God may well be preparing a wife for me, he may not. God may well be preparing me for a wife. He may not, either way, he is causing me to become more Christ-like, which is what a good husband really is in the end anyway.