God’s been teaching me an incredible
amount lately, which is especially benevolent because I have not been very good
to Him these past few weeks. My failures in my relationship with God are not
really the point of this entry, but I should highlight that He has been very
gracious, patient, and kind to me despite my behavior. He has continued to grow
me and shape me into a better person though I have not recently given Him the
time I am so aware He deserves. But God does not treat me as I deserve either;
He is beyond merciful to me. So without further ado, here are a couple of the
lessons God has been teaching me at the rather revealing and monumental age of
22 (and the time leading up to it):
I am content.
This lesson began with my trip to
Haiti and was, of course, very much shaped by Paul’s discussion of contentment
in Philippians 4. The realization is simple. I am to be content because God is
all I need. More than that, I am content.
I am okay with whatever God throws my way because He always fights for me. He
is loyal to me. He has high expectations of me, but He’s also merciful when I
don’t fulfill those expectations. I need that, and I need someone I can trust
and fight for. And what’s most surprising to me in this regard is that
contentment leads to happiness.
Everything good is based on love.
“Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and
most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands” (Mt. 22:37-40,
HCSB). Next month, I’ll finish my college work and, since I am currently a
student worker, will also need new employment. This has led to a lot of thought
about what my next steps will be and what I should spend my life doing. The
truth, though, is what I should really focus on is loving God and loving
people. When I do these two things, I make God happy. So, I have resolved to
make love my primary focus and let all else—my occupation, my residence, and the
numerous minor decisions we’re all confronted with—be secondary.
In conjunction with this, I have also
learned that when I am seeking God, I cannot make the wrong decision. This part
was a bigger surprise to me. Whereas many of the other lessons I’ve learned
recently just needed to be put into practice, this one was entirely new to me.
A person who is wholly and joyously surrendered to God cannot make the wrong
choice because God will bring that person to the place He has for them.
Sometimes, when you don’t “feel led” in a particular direction, it is because
God is giving you freedom to go either way. Sometimes He tells us what He wants,
and there are many things we know we should not do, but it is a myth that God
will always make His will clear to you. It’s important to seek God and not be
paralyzed by indecision when He gives me freedom to make my own choice. When I
love Him, and I love people, I will end up where He wants me.
