"If only...", "I cannot wait till ...."
We are a people that in our sin always seem to think the "grass is greener on the other side". A good way to measure this is if you have ever said something like, "Once I get/move/have/am with ....". If you do not think you have, you are lying to yourself and need to think harder. We all do this, the first sin of humanity was in part this type of attitude. Biblically the problem is never about getting to this stage or going somewhere else, the problem lies in our hearts. Our hearts will be continuously discontent until we have "tasted and seen" the goodness of the Lord. We were made to be ultimately satisfied in our Lord the maker of all green grass. Not until He saves and renews us can we see that our pining for something better or a "fresh start" is not our hope, Jesus is our hope! We must fight for this contentment, we must pray that as we grow to know Jesus more and more intimately we will no longer be driven by the "next big thing" in our lives cause only one main thing matters, Jesus and His Kingdom!
This poem quoted by Lydia Brownback from The Purple Cellar was so convicting and encouraging:
It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted:
The warm days and the great outdoors.
It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted:
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted:
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.
It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted:
The warmth and blossoming of nature.
I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted:
The freedom and the respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted:
To be mature and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted:
The youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted:
The presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over,
and I never got what I wanted.
Phil Ryken, 1 Timothy, Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R, 2008), 255-56
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