God's purpose for discontentment

All this talk about lack of contentment has been making me think about Divine uses of discontentment. I had a conversation with someone recently that fueled this.

While i stand by the fact that i'm an ingrate when it comes to my inability to be content with the material and spiritual blessings God has given me. I DO think that there is a Divine restlessness that God can put in us on purpose to move us to some sort of action. (we bumped into this in the comments section of the previous post)

->sometimes my intangible yearnings are there to make me seek God more deeply.
->sometimes i may get frustrated with my church because God means for me to be a change agent.
->sometimes my marriage may seem really bad to me because it ISN'T all that God means it to be and he's trying to move me to make it more of what he wants.
->sometimes my heartbreak over the world's problems may be a call for me to find some small way of getting involved.

...you get the picture.

I'm curious, has anyone seen an example in their own life where a lack of contentment REALLY WAS from God, and it nudged you along to something that made you more healthy, more faithful, more trusting in God? If so please post a comment and share about it. Feel free to use the following as a guide.
1. what was the situation?
2. how did you work thru it to discover if it was just you being an ingrate or if it was something worked in you by the Spirit?
3. what action were you compelled to take?
4. what has been the result so far?

be brave... post away!

thoughts from a malcontent

i hate complaining and i find discontentment to be one of the ugliest AND most painful things in the world. But here i am on the 8th day of the New Year, battling against myself on this very front.

I go around like this far too often, somedays i feel so at peace in my skin, car, house, job, life. I can't imagine how i could ever want or need more. I can't believe that so many people are so unhappy.

Then a switch flips in my brain and suddenly everything is awful. And there's this acidic yearning inside of me for more, better.

Maybe it's the New Year's syndrome that so many people feel. Maybe it's boredom (i've learned not to underestimate the destructive power of boredom). Perhaps it's winter, even though this hardly has turned out to be a typical winter. Or maybe it is really that I'm an ingrate who refuses to be thankful for things that 90% of the world only dreams about having. Funny thing is, in this current state I KNOW that even if i had everything that i feel i'm lacking, i'd still not be happy. I've got my thoughts on why this is too... i'll spare you on them now.

So i wait for the switch to flip back, and meanwhile i grit my teeth and recount all of my blessings hoping that God will move my eyes to nobler things and bless my heart with gratitude... and SOON.

Comments are welcome