Over the years I often find myself thinking or saying,
When the kids are older…
When we get past this big event…
After this trip..
Once our remodeling is done…
I’ll get my life back.
When these things happen, that’s when I’ll find real peace, then I’ll be able to get things done, then there will be a sense of normalcy for once.
In the midst of the things that feel so messy and burdensome at times, I find myself complaining and longing for the finish line, rather than seeing the purpose within the process.
The thing is, the Lord gives us everything we need, not what we think we need, when we think we need it.
The bumpy, messy times within our journey of life are the very times He wants to use to grow our capacity for the more He has for us.
This summer the journey felt pretty rough. There wasn't a sense of normacy to say the least and I found myself thinking, "when this all ends I'll get my life back".
Here's a recap that really only scratches the surface : Two-week road trip, months of remodel within our home-including no shower/bath, living in our RV for weeks, and a cloud of uncertainty regarding our children’s next season of education—it wasn’t comfortable. On many occasions, I found myself venting to the Lord and finding myself at such an emotional low.
This may seem like real "first world problems", but it doesn't always take a tragic event to get us discouraged. Its very often the build up of many little things.
Yet, now that I look back over the past three months, I see the sweet memories made, the laughs, and all of the new experiences for our children. I look at our almost finished home and I’m full of gratitude. Within all the photos from the summer, I see beauty, family, and real life—I see it all as God does…now.
The Lord has really been challenging me to live with His perspective NOW, not in retrospect. Our Father’s perspective is so much higher, so optimistic, so big-picture. I want His perspective in the mundane times, and in the chaotic times.
Putting our life on hold, complaining, not running the race fully, and seeing burden more than blessings only keeps us going around the same mountain of discontentment.
I can’t help but think of the Israelites. We all know the story--the Israelites made what should have been a two-week journey into a 40-year journey and never made it to the promise land. Yet, all along the Lord’s presence and provision hovered over them in the form of a cloud. All they had to do was look up to where their help came from. Instead, they traded God’s long term, all-encompassing perspective in for their immediate-right in front of them perspective.
Much like the Israelites we all want rescued, and set free. But the thing is, the Lord already died to give us that freedom. It’s already ours.
Have you ever tried to rescue someone from a negative situation, yet once you did, they fell back into bondage again? In the same way--
We are rescued, but if we don’t grab hold of God’s perspective, we’ll just fall back into the prison we came from.
Freedom is worth claiming, believing, and fighting to remain in.
Let’s determine today-- no more believing lies, no more going around the same mountain. Freedom is here and it all starts with taking on God’s perspective now, not "when we get our lives back".
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