All I Need

Sometimes, if I'm not careful, I can get whiny. It's true! If I change the focus of my mind just a little bit, I start to think about me and all the things I want. And before I know it, I'm having a pity party, reminiscing about all the unfulfilled dreams and talking about the "what if's."

The picture in my mind is one of a ship that is leaving from Charleston,SC and headed for Hamburg, GE. If the captain of the ship maintains proper heading through rough seas and ferociouis storms, the ship, crew and cargo will all safely reach the destination. But, if the captain allows the heading of the ship to change by even a few degrees, over the length of the entire trip, the margin of error will be thousands of miles and instead of arriving in Germany, he may arrive in North Africa.

That's what it's like with my mind. If I can hold the course, all is well. But if I fail to hold the course and then allow the error to multiply with distance (time) I find myself in a strange land far from where I desire to be.

Fortunately for me, God is a perfect navigator. (Now don't bombard me with e-mails suggesting I should promote him to Captain! For the purposes of my metaphor it works better with God as the navigator!) You see, he gives me all the instructions and information that I need to make good, sound decisions. If I follow his instructions, I will reach my destination safely. If not, well then I wander off into uncharted territories. If it were me alone, I'd probably wind up making big circles in the ocean of life and never wind up anywhere that is worth going. That was the old me, increasing the engine speed in an ever-decreasing spiral that leads straight to the 'Port of Hell.'

Anyway, like I said, I can get whiny. And sometimes, I whine to the Lord about 'why is this so hard?' or "can't you just take this away from me?" or 'when will this be over?' All of these are me-centric questions that don't even deserve an answer but God, in His grace, answers them nonetheless.

Consider the passage for today;
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

This is much more than a platitude, it defines the perfect attitude. God allows me, permits me, commits me, forces me to endure discomfort or distress so that I may glorify His name and also that I may depend on Him. If I were perfect, if life were perfect, I would have no need for God and I would most certainly turn away.

So like Paul, I'll celebrate my weakness, without whining, so that the power of God, the presence of the Spirit and the deliverance of Christ may permeate my life and bring glory to the Father who loves me.

No Whiners!
Carl