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!
Labels: attitude, contentment, purpose, thankfulness
posted by Dion @ 1/22/2007 08:55:00 AM
14 Comments
14 Comments:
I got one.
I haven't made any changes yet because I have yet to figure this one out.
My issue is with H2O. I enjoy doing the tech stuff but at the same time I don't (if that makes sense). I feel the need for something different but I do not know if it is God calling me to make that change and broaden my ways to serve him in the church or if it is my dislike of the way I see things going and personal issues with people there that have yet to be addressed.
Part of the problem is I have seen many good people walk away from H2O because of the way it was being run and the differences in opinion and I can see that happening to me if what I am feeling isn't from God.
I don't want to walk away from a servantship opportunity just because I don't like the way it's going I want it to be God led. So, basically I have yet to figure that one out.
I kinda think that relates to what you were saying...or at least I hope it does.
yeah, it sounds like this could be an example of what i was talking about. Though it sounds like you're still in the middle of trying to figure it out. Keep wrestling with God... and don't let yourself become a malcontent, but keep asking Him to use your discontentment for a noble purpose.
So, as I read through your blog I thought of a number of examples in my personal life including my relationship with my wife and work/rest patterns, but it also got my mind to wondering about situations where there is righteous discontent, but we are still called not to ask.
The biggest example that came to mind is when we are under an authority. A biblical account that came to mind was David refusing to take Jerusalem while Saul was still king even though God had already anointed him as the next king.
thanks for throwing another curveball joe :)
the issue of being under authority is an interesting one. Especially when you start talking about authority that is corrupt or broken. You think of David, i think of Bonhoeffer who responded to a "discontenting" situation in a very different way. man, that line is even harder to draw.
But you do bring up an important consideration that most of us probably don't think much about (i didn't :)) When wrestling thru an issue, it's important to take note and consider what authority God has placed over you. hopefully if it's a good authority, you're also seeking counsel.
but yeah, now you've got all kinds of questions and scenarios running thru my mind about submitting to authority... if i can't fall asleep tonight, you're getting all the blame!
I would take this one step further, without sharing a personal example:
Oftentimes, discontent leads to actions that may not be pleasing to God. If you're in a bad situation and you have to make a hard choice, it's entirely possible that you will make the wrong one. But the beauty is, God will use that!! (He has in my life).
That's one of the things that baffles me about God: He uses discontent, but he also uses poor actions responding to that discontent, if we're open to learning from them.
Of course, that doesn't give us an excuse to make any decision we want, but it does help us live in Grace, knowing that we have a God who is not too proud to still teach us when we go off track.
Did that make sense? Did that even relate to this at all? :)
so nobody like personal examples, i see! :)
man bob and joe, you guys are kind of hijacking this whole thing, in a good way though.
I think of the issue of kingship. GOD was to be Israel's king. But they cried out and moaned and asked for a king. AND GOD GAVE THEM ONE. But right as he gave them one he said, "this is gonna be bad, and you are going to regret this day" but they didn't care.
Then you read what actually happened with the kings of israel, you see that it was quite regrettable, but God did a lot of good thru Israel's kings too, he used some of them in powerful ways for his purposes. Ultimately bringing THE KING from David's line who would again rule over God's people alone.
so i guess i'm seeing the truth that sometimes discontent causes BAD decisions, but God's hands are not tied by our bad decisions. I'll toss in that it's ALWAYS better to follow God from the beginning (it would've been better for Israel and probably the world if they never asked for a king to start with) but God can make good of it anyway.
great additions... but is there ANYONE out there who wants to actually answer the question? (pardon my control freakiness) :)
Ok ok....here ya go, one from my life (maybe two if I can't stop blabbing):
I used to be cool. I used to be hip. I used to work at the coolest recording studio in Detroit. I was a record producer. I was doing what I loved. I was livin' the life. The problem was, once I got to that level, there was lots of discontent. Not really anything huge or blatant, but just this underlying feeling that something wasn't as it should be.
So, I finally decided I'd quit. Not just that studio, but the whole business. (nothing really pushed me to that other than this subtle discontentment).
As it turns out, that was the shove I needed to get involved in ministry. From that point on (and for the rest of my life, God willing) I'll be working in ministry. Helping churches, working for them, or otherwise making it my job to spread the Gospel.
Discontentment led me to leave a life of hip, not knowing what I was going towards....turns out that God had a plan, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Now, for the second example. I'll leave the details out because they're not important (although they may relate to my last comment on here)....I left working for St. Matthew because of lots of discontentment. That really unleashed me to be (who I think) God wanted me to be: Someone who can help multiple churches in multiple areas of media.
I'm not 100% sure yet how this is going to turn out, even after years of perspective, but I pray that God is using that original discontent to position me where He wants me. I may be wrong...but again, He can use that too.
ah bob, thanks! what a guy you are. Those are great examples of God's ability to work out great things in SPITE of us.
And knowing your ministry work first hand, i'd say that God's work is being very well served by the steps you took. Thanks for sharing.
Contentment-
I have this deep, raw feeling of discontentment about my church (not st.matthew). We are in a situation where through a series of "Sure God we want a king" and God giving it to us, we have hit rock bottom. The problem is this- how do you go to the people who make those decisions and tell them that they have not discerned God's will? I fear it will be harsh (harshness is a character flaw of mine) or it will be received as complaining (because the good Lord knows the church is full of people who constantly complain about everything!) I feel like God is speaking to me but I'm dragging my feet to relay the message. I went so far as to test God. "If this coin lands on heads than I know that you are truly speaking to me" of course the coin landed on heads-I know God's voice! What is my problem? I'm completely miserable right now.... HELP!
sounds like you've been doing some wrestling with God... good! now maybe it's time to "trust GOd and do good" like my good friend Paul says often. In my experience there comes a time when you've prayed and struggled long enough and action is needed. And maybe God IS calling you to be the one to act, maybe he isn't though... either way it sounds like a word of love/concern/REALITY could be really helpful for your church leaders. I'd ask for an audience with those you need to speak with and pray two things... 1) God if I'm on the wrong path in doing this, stop this meeting from happening. 2) God, find a way to make this work for the good of my church. (that's also a prayer that will keep your motivation pure, it's not to slam the leaders but to help the church you love)
also i'm thinking about some of the prophets who were charged to speak-not because the people would listen and repent-but so that they could be without excuse when God decided to show some discipline. I'm not saying that's your role, but who knows, even if you speak truth in love and they don't listen or get mad or take offense and don't do anything differently, it could still be part of God's plan for them to have had the opportunity to hear your input.
Of course i give all this advice flippantly, i know LITTLE about the complexity of your situation, so you should take what i say with a grain of salt.
But here's where i think Luther's "sin boldly" comment comes in. He is often misquoted here. His intent was to say that if you are trying to serve God and believe God wants you to do something but you're afraid that you STILL might not have it right, and inadvertantly sin, that you should then feel confident in "sinning boldly"... trying to serve God in the best way possible, but realizing that sometimes it'll get all botched up, but that's exactly why there is STILL grace for those of us who are in Christ. We can't possible foresee or control how things come out in the end, that's where we have to trust that God does and that he CAN steer things toward the good places on our behalf. So luther's point was DO your homework, pray, struggle, check your sinful flesh, But then if you think it's still right and that you're following God. DO IT. and let God's grace cover over you and the situation. make sense?
I had 2 small children, had them baptized but did not go to church much. I tried to take them to the church I was raised in but I was not worshiping- I wanted to stand up and say, "Just exactly where do you get that from?" in the service. My mom told me I needed to take my kids to learn about God and I agreed but was very discontented with where we were at and could not bring myself to go to church but was not happy with that either. I went to my neighbor who I knew was a Christian I admired. She recommended trying some other churches and suggested 1 to start with and said she would pray for me. I prayed that God would show me where also. Opened my Bible at random to hope to find some help(not what I'd normally recommend) and came on the parable about the seeds. Listened to a Christian station that week, not something I usually did-heard the parable about the seeds again. Went to a new church,(I could worship!) sermon was on-you guessed it-parable about the seeds. Prayed I would be like the seeds that fell on good soil. I started in a Bible study at that church to answer my questions. Because that was so long ago I can see what blessings have come from my discontent. I learned more about God, He became a part of my family's life. My children had parents that go to church together, love God and have hopefully showed them that. My husband and I read and study our Bibles-something we were not raised with. And best of all the empty place in my life was filled. My cup runs over!
wow... that's a neat story. amazing how God brings it all together. thanks so much for sharing.
I guess all of my discontentment (and I have and live in alot of it) in any area, has driven me to press into the Lord and seek His love more and more. I believe He has allowed me to be discontented so that I would be drawn to want to know Him more and more because He is the only One who can heal me and set me free from all the things in me that cause me to be discontented in the first place.
so true patti. Thanks for sharing
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