I Enjoy My Life

It dawned on me that I tend to use this blog as a "venting" station for my frustrations sometimes.   So a little bit of balance is in store to keep things in perspective.


I love my life.


I like my job.


One of the things I really like about my job is that the Spirit of God goes with me to help me each day with the frustrations that come up.   I thank God every day for the way He keeps me reminded that I'm NOT "living for" this job.


I believe God got me the job. I absolutely LOVED it for years.   It's been a wonderful growth opportunity for me spiritually in many ways.   When we are confronted with things that are challenging, that's the time to get on our knees before God and seek His help.  I've done that consistently as I've faced various issues down through the years I've been on this job and God has never failed to help me deal with whatever issues I face


I got really "frustrated" last week and when I prayed, I asked God to remove the "thorn".   I felt like that was the solution to what is going on.   That was my evening prayer.  By morning, I felt like God had ministered to my mind that He had presented me with yet another situation that would allow me to learn more about His grace, wisdom, and continual desire to be with me.


All of my life, when I've been tempted to feel bad that life seemed to be dealing me a bad hand, I would end up reprimanding myself for thinking such thoughts.   And there is a reason.


I suppose each of us has a "worldview"  (a  word commonly used lately).  Mine has never been that serving God meant that life would be easy on us or that we'd be handed our heart's desires on a silver platter (after all He could do that).


I've always looked upon salvation as a way for God to show His glory, power, and grace through us.   First, He delivers from sin.  That's only possible through Him.  Man cannot live without sin without God's intervention and daily assistance.   Secondly, He delivers us from our own selfish (self-destructing) ways.  Our focus for life ceases to be, What can I get out of this? but instead becomes How does God want to show Himself through me?  "Death to self" is one of the crucial elements to the success of giving God glory through our lives.   As long as we direct our own steps, He is never fully able to do in and through us what He desires.  


Even beyond that, I have always felt that God is not in the business of making life as easy for us as possible.   If our vessel is submitted to Him, then He begins to work to shape it, mold it and make it into what He wants it to become.   And, in my opinion,  the difficulties that we face in life are necessary to this process.   In other words, they are the "chisel" that cuts away the parts of us that need to go for us to be made into what God wants us to be.


So, as much as I do not enjoy the frustrations of life that I face, I do believe that not only I, but every person, must face difficulties that will shape our lives.   If we are determined to give God control when we face these issues, He will enable us through His wisdom, grace, and strength to come out of them a better person.   If we handle them on our own, number one, God gets NO glory.  But, aside from that, there will be things that will not be chipped away because we become the god of our own lives and, if there is good that is accomplished, we ourselves get the glory.   Sin is still present.  Self is still in control.  God is not the director.


I enjoy the work I do.  I like the people I work with.   I like the environment of the place I work.  I like the hours.    And, as I keep my ears open, I hear the same frustrations that I face being voiced by people who work in other places.  I am not alone in what I am facing.  Others have these same frustrations to deal with.


What I do have-- and it works effectively for me-- is God with me.  He has become more and more real in my life with every new challenge that I face.  


It's a good life.