Comfort or Maturity?

I love the Word of God!  You can read a verse over and over again and then one day someone says something that puts that scripture in a whole new light.  The Holy Spirit then does the rest.  This week we are in Vacation Bible School at my church and the teacher said something that I just could not shake.  He was talking about a familiar passage of scripture....Romans 8:28.  You know the verse.   'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love  him, who have been called according to his purpose'.  It was the first verse someone quoted to me when I was going through one of the most difficult times (or so I thought) of my life. I looked at that individual as though they were crazy!  Throughout life we are taught that if something is working out for our good then that means we are getting what we want.  The job. The house.  The car.  The man.  The woman.  Whatever we are praying for that is what we receive.  Give me, give me, give me what I want!  And not in God's time but in my time.  However, as Christians we know that is not always the case.  In fact, sometimes it is the exact opposite.  The question that I want to pose to you today is one very similar to the one the minister posed last night.  Is this scripture talking about comfort or maturity?  Is it truly about us getting what we want in the end?  And if it is about getting what we want....do we only want material things?  And if we don't get what we want, how do we respond? 

Those of you that have been reading this blog from the beginning know that one of the things I stress is that our lives on this earth should be used so God can get the glory. And this should be done by any means God's deems necessary.  Even through our trials and tribulations.  Even in the eye of a storm. We have heard the preacher say time and time again that you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or getting ready to go into a storm.  But have we come to grip with this reality?  Yes, God blesses us and hopefully we thank Him for His blessings.  Do we thank Him, on the other hand, that the storm that we are in is going to used as a testimony that will help someone else? Or are we looking for that silver lining?  That end result that means I have a better job...a bigger house...a nicer car.  For me, it depends.  On what?  How bad the storm is? Did I get a breather in between storms?  How badly wounded was I in the last storm?  I think about all of this. Am I sitting there thinking that God is going to get the glory? Am I thinking that I am going to be STRONGER, WISER, BETTER,  SO MUCH BETTER?  Not at all. But I should be....because His promises are true and it will work out for my good.  And if I faced every storm, every obstacle with this very attitude, I do believe things would be better. If I could say like David said,  'I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging for bread'.  If I could 'hold to God's unchanging hand'  or if I could just 'Keep Swimming' (Finding Nemo)  I have often times heard myself say that 'I can make it through this situation because I know God has something better for me when it is over'.  I have even made out my list of what that better should be.  But the things on that list are things I can see and touch.  They are not intangible things.  Although it is those intangible things that make us survivors.

You may be like me always looking for that 'silver lining'.  Looking for that temporary fix.  That thing you want at the moment instead of what will be with you for a lifetime.  If that is the case with you, I challenge you today to make a change from looking for comfort to looking for maturity.  Let that be your end result.  May you be able to say that you are STRONGER, WISER, BETTER....SO MUCH BETTER.

Dear Lord,

Yes I have asked you for alot of things.  These were all things that I thought I needed at the time.  I confess that I have not always seen your hand at work and I just want to be comfortable.  I know that I should be growing in the Lord and looking with spiritual eyes but sometimes I want to be able to see and touch and show others what you have done for me.  It's a little hard to show someone I have peace or strength even though I know that these things are better for me.  Help me to be more aware of your hand.  Help me to recognize my need for maturity so that I no longer tuck tail and run in every bad situation.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.