The Contentment Dilemma

Following, I relate an experience of mine that illustrates the enrichment of life when God has control.

I did much of this writing in the later hours, between 9:00 p.m. and midnight. I found if I stop writing and go to bed because it is getting late, I will have an attitude at the alarm clock in the morning. In contrast, if I keep writing until my mind slows down and God tells me I can go to bed, I will wake up feeling marvelous.

This morning is an excellent illustration. Last night I worked on this manuscript until 12:20 a.m. When I went to bed, I kept thinking about this project, and before long, I got up to take some notes on this very subject. I got caught up in other aspects of editing, and it was 1:30 till I got to bed again. Now, here I am writing this paragraph twenty minutes before I usually get up because I was done sleeping and got out of bed early.

Yes, sometimes God’s will looks unreasonable, and we cannot see why He would desire such absurdity. It helps if we think of ourselves as tools in His hands. We must repeatedly say, “Your will be done.” Then we must take a deep breath and do whatever He asks us. Let us endeavor to remember that God’s way is always best, even if it looks scary and impossible.

Let us never forget that God’s plan for us is better, in every aspect, than our plan for ourselves. Here is another experience to illustrate that point:

In May 2017, I had less than $500 in my name, and my boss had forgotten to do paychecks, which rendered them a day late. But it was a warm day, and on the way back from our job, I swung the truck in at McDonald’s to purchase milkshakes for the crew.

The boss and I went inside to place the order while I tried to figure out why I was buying milkshakes for the crew, for such a thing is so against my nature and I had no money to spare. We waited for a long time. When I finally inquired about the order, I discovered they had accidentally dropped it. They refunded my money and gave us our shakes as an apology.

Experiences like this one have greatly aided me in trusting God with the details of my life. I assure you again, friend, living in and trusting God’s will is the only way to find true repose.