by Chad Lewis on June 20, 2008
Eugene Peterson writes, “The person… who looks for quick results in the seed planting of well-doing will be disappointed. If I want potatoes for dinner tomorrow, it will do me little good to go out and plant potatoes in my garden tonight. There are long stretches of darkness and invisibility and silence that separate planting and reaping. During the stretches of waiting there is a cultivating and weeding and nurturing and planting still other seeds” (From Traveling Light).
As I reflect on this thought today, I am reminded how easy it is to always take the short view and to forget the long view. We are such a fast food and microwave society that we want things and we want them now. However, God is not bound by our definitions of success or timing and we should be thankful for that.
Where are you right now? Are you content in the place that God has you? Are you seeking to grow where He has planted you or are you dreaming about getting to the place where you can really thrive? Do you believe that God is going to finish the work that He started and that right now and that He is using the circumstances of your life to accomplish His goals? In reality, if we believe Romans 8:28-29 and have a proper theology of place, we must believe that God has planted us exactly where we need to be. The only place we can be is wherever we are right here and right now. We can daily miss opportunities to love those in front of us, experience God’s grace, and lose precious moments to truly live. I know because I’ve spent countless days in some nebulous future that will never exist. I must be where God has planted me and live in the now for that is where I am.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”
Remember that we can’t just flip a switch and appear in the land of contentment. We must own our lack of contentment and take it to the Father. We must pray and ask that He would teach us and draw us to believe what is true. We need to surround ourselves with believers who can speak truth in our lives, and ultimately, we must trust ruthlessly in the goodness of our Abba Father. He is always faithful. He is always good. He always knows best and He is doing a work that is beyond our understanding.
by Chad Lewis on January 21, 2007
After living a gazillion places, having a thousand jobs, being up in front of people playing music and speaking, mopping floors, having money and being dirt poor, receiving accolades and awards, and being made fun of, I have realized that none of this earthly stuff is ever enough. One might think that after having experienced earth shattering lows that are so painful your teeth hurt that you would truly appreciate the highs where the whole world seems to be affected by you, but it is never enough and it was never meant to be.
We were created to never be truly filled by anything but God alone. If we believe the Scriptures, God has us where we are for His exact purposes and to fulfill a greater plan. I have seen the green grass on the other side of the fence and moved to the neighbor’s yard only to desire to go back because the shades of green seemed to change.
With all of this, I think of Paul’s words in the epistles. He counted “ALL” loss compared to knowing Christ. He counted everything as rubbish and refuse compared to knowing Christ. And he also found contentment in all things. Whether he was hungry or full, warm or cold, in safety or in danger, in all these places he was in Christ and Christ was in him.
We were not created for this world so the next time you find yourself useless because you are thinking that being somewhere else would solve all your problems, remember that your problems and heartaches will always go with you. However, the God of our fathers will never change and He can meet us in our time of deepest need.
So I write this to myself this morning because I’ve been thinking that the grass is greener right now and my contentment in what God is providing is at a low. But, I will trust in His promises and say along with David, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures…” God has made me lie down in the green pastures that He has ordained for me at this time, and I will praise Him for it.
by Chad Lewis on October 20, 2006
I recently read a quotation from a famous pastor that relayed the following message. Those who deserve nothing should be content with anything.
We do live in an entitlement age. We feel entitled to get what we deserve. We see this on talk shows, on the news and to those desiring to get what is coming to them. The selfishness of this age should not surprise us. It just seems that media allows the message of “self” to get to the public’s ears much more readily than in any time before ours.
So this attitude seaps into our churches. We blame God for not making our lives perfect according to our standards. However, when you look at the lowest class of Americans, they are rich in comparison to the rest of the world. In our country, you can usually find food to eat and water to drink no matter how bad your plight might be.
If we are not careful, we can reach the point where we proclaim to God that we deserve grace and all the blessings of this life. We forget one enormous truth. We don’t really want what we deserve.
If we got what we deserve, we would be put on trial instantly for pointing our finger in the Creator’s face and saying “No thanks! I’ll do this life thing my way!” We would be put on trial for the mulititude of sins we commit each day as we put ourselves before God and others.
We are in the most hopeless and pitiable state. Those who do not realize this are the worst off. They do not even realize what they deserve.
If we are children of God, we should look and see that grace is really amazing. We should look and see that all we have has been given to us. We should look and be thankful for another breath to be able to even speak the Name of God and thank Him for what eternity has in store. This life is not too long to live recklessly with great contentment for the One who has given us life and Himself. Let us refocus and whose we are and what we really deserve.
Eugene Peterson writes, “The person… who looks for quick results in the seed planting of well-doing will be disappointed. If I want potatoes for dinner tomorrow, it will do me little good to go out and plant potatoes in my garden tonight. There are long stretches of darkness and invisibility and silence that separate planting and reaping. During the stretches of waiting there is a cultivating and weeding and nurturing and planting still other seeds” (From Traveling Light).
