Divine Discontent Brings Change

Disconent can be the signal or motivator needed to bring change into our lives.  I call it "divine discontent" because I believe the Holy Spirit is truly our helper, working to help us see and make necessary changes in our lives, and those niggling discontents are often Him trying to get our attention. 

When I feel discontent, I tend to want to blame someone else for it.  It often manifests itself as discontent towards another person or situation, when in reality, I am the one who is being spurred to change.

We might feel discontent with a relationship that has gone stale, or a situation that has not changed.  Perhaps our spouse hasn't made changes that we think he/she should.  Perhaps we see a need in our community that we think should have been met by "so and so".  Such disconent is a signal that the change we are looking for probably lies within ourselves.

I remember feeling discontent with the level of romance in my marriage.  I mentioned things to my husband, dropped hints, etc., but nothing changed.  When was the last time I got flowers for no reason at all?  Then I decided that I would do the changing.  After making some adjustments and making the effort to speak more of my husband's "love language", he began to bring more romance into our relationship.  My change opened the door for him to change.  Discontent resolved!

It is a waste of our time, energy and love to wait and expect change to come from someone else when we have the power to bring change when we choose to.

Parents can feel discontent when they see a child consistently make choices that they disapprove of.  Years can go by with no change, and often parents will begin to focus on that discontent, placing pressures of expectation upon the child.  Children, even grown ones, want to please their parents, and the weight of a parent's discontent can be a binding burden, making it even more difficult for the child to change.  What may be helpful is for the parent to change.  If you've been saying the same thing over and over and it hasn't worked, quit saying it!  Find something new to say or do that will speak to the heart of your child, releasing them to change.  Acceptance and affirmation are tremendous motivators for change to occur in someones life.

Fabulously, when we make the change, we are happier.  Happier with ourselves, happier with the ones we were discontent with.  The atmosphere of our relationships begin to change.  Love begins to flow again.  What a great perk!

Where are you feeling that "divine discontent" in your life?  Take a close look and ask yourself, "What can I do, where can I change?".  You really can't force change on others, but you can certainly make changes in your own life. So, embrace the discontent as a signal that change is needed and go on, make the change.  You'll be glad you did!

...and that's how the fight started.

Sometimes we just need to laugh.....


I heard my wife crying in the bathroom. "Honey? What's wrong" I asked.
"Oh, George! Just look at me: I'm getting so old! I have more gray in my hair than blonde, I have varicose veins on both of my legs, and I'm just fat and wrinkled all over! I really need someone to say something positive about me right now!"
I looked deeply into her eyes and said softly: "Your vision's real good, honey. That's something, isn't it?"
And that's when the fight started....
---
When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive.
So I took her to a gas station.
And that's when the fight started....
- - -
My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.
My wife asked, "Do you know her?"
"Yes," I sighed, "She was my senior year girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since."

"My God!" says my wife. "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"
And that's when the fight started....
- - -
I asked my wife, "Where do you want to go for our anniversary?"
It warmed my heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said.
So I suggested, "How about the kitchen?"
And that's when the fight started....
- - -
One year, a husband decided to buy his mother-in-law a cemetery plot
as a Christmas gift.
The next year, he didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked him why, he replied, "Well, you still haven't used the
gift I bought you last year!"
And that's how the fight started.....
---
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming
anniversary. She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 200
in about 3 seconds.
I bought her a scale.
And that's how the fight started.....
- - -

Hope you didn't take that too seriously and laughed!
Have a great day and treat each other well!  :)

When Things Go Wrong, They May Be Going Right

Just like you, I love it when I receive affirmation of who I am and who I am becoming.  But I can't live in that moment, I haven't yet "arrived".  As disciples of Christ, we need to keep moving forward, learning and growing in our understanding of what it means to follow Him.

The disciple Peter is a great example of this.

Peter has just been affirmed by Jesus, recognized for the revelation/understanding that he had received about who Jesus was, the Son of God.  I'm sure Peter was pretty stoked about that.  "I am a receiver of revelation" (and all the feelings of importance that must have come with that).  But just as quickly, Peter missed the mark when Jesus revealed that He would suffer and die.  Peter, "the revelator" was quick to jump in and tell Jesus this couldn't be true.  Jesus' response?

"Peter, get out of my way.  Satan, get lost.  You have no idea how God works."  Then Jesus went to work on His disciples.  "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.  You're not in the driver's seat; I am.  Don't run from suffering; embrace it.  Follow me and I'll show you how....."  Matthew 16:23-24 (MSG).


"Get away from me, Satan!  You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's." (NLT)

How hard it must have been for Peter to "see" Jesus as the Son of God, to have even a brief understanding of what that meant, and then to be told that the Son of God was going to suffer and die would have seemed so contradictory to the revelation.

Many times we grab hold of a revelation of who God is - we realize He's our Healer, our Savior, our Friend, our Mountain-Mover, etc. - and we want to stop right there, but are confronted with an alternate scenario playing out in our lives.  He's my Healer, but I've got a cancer diagnosis.  He's my Savior but I struggle with pornography.  He's my Friend but I don't feel Him right now.  He's my Mountain-Mover but circumstances are overwhelming me.  What do we do?

We let God lead.

We hear Jesus' words to Peter and acknowledge that while we know some things, we don't know all things. 

Just as Peter couldn't comprehend why the Son of God would need to suffer and die, God knew why.  So once and for all the penalty of sin would be paid, that we sinners could come into relationship with the Living God.  God's point of view is all-encompassing, and He sees how it is all working together for good, even when we can't.

Yes, we are thankful and rejoice when we gain clarity about who God is and how He works, but let's not stop there and think we have "arrived" at full understanding.  Let's take what we have learned and continue to add to it as we journey forward in God, trusting Him and letting Him lead.

...and just maybe when things seem to be going wrong, they are really going right!