I was thinking about my life this morning, and I realized that I’ve been doing a lot of whining about it lately. It seems so easy, somehow, to turn my eyes away from the many blessings I have in my life, and to focus on what I perceive as a “lack”. Then, of course, I start to beat myself up about being ungrateful. So I get in a cycle of whining and guilt and whining and guilt. It’s not pretty.
When all the while the truth is, I have a very blessed life. I have a place to live, food to eat and clothes to wear. I have a car to drive that was a GIFT. I have two amazing teenagers who refuse to be put in boxes by society and that actually like to hang out with their mom! I get to be a stay at home mom and I get to write, which are two of my greatest passions. I have a family that loves me, and a special circle of friends whose hearts are knit together with mine. And, most importantly, I have an ever expanding revelation that my God loves me, has nothing but good for me, and wants to be an intimate part of my life.
“So why”, I asked Father, “Do I get so ungrateful?” And He sent me on a Treasure Hunt.
First, He took me to Genesis 3:1-6. That’s the account of Eve being deceived by the enemy. In the garden, Eve had everything. She had an intimate relationship with God and physically walked with Him every day. She had the lavish beauty and abundance of the garden surrounding her everywhere she looked. She was perfect, her man was perfect, everything was perfect. And yet, the enemy wriggled his way into her life and made her believe that even in the midst of paradise, something was lacking. Wow!
So, I wondered, is that my answer? Eve was ungrateful, so that’s just the way I am too? But Father wasn’t finished yet. Next, He took me to Genesis 1:31. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely (AMP). And He asked me, “Would I have approved of Eve completely if she had an ungrateful heart? Would I even have called her good if she had an ungrateful heart?” Of course not! That means Eve didn’t have an ungrateful heart. She was deceived by the enemy into believing the lie that God was somehow holding out on her. So, if Eve didn’t have an ungrateful heart that means that I don’t have an ungrateful heart either. That means that I have also been deceived by the enemy into believing a lie. In my case, the lie is that God has been holding out on me in the area of provision.
Now that the lie was out in the open I could look at it in the light of Truth. One of the names of God is Jehovah-Jirah, the God Who Provides. It is His very name and nature to provide for His children, just as it is in my nature to provide for mine. He coded His nature into my DNA so I could better understand His heart. I know this because Genesis 1:26 tells me that I was created in His image and likeness.
So, I know that it is His nature to provide for me. Will God, then, go against His nature and not provide for me? Once again I have to say of course not! James 1:17 says that in Him there is no variableness or shadow of turning. He is consistent and constant in Who He is. Isn’t that awesome? He has, He is, and He will always provide for me! Watch out devil! Your lie has been exposed. And now I am wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God! (Ephesians 6:17)
I just love to win, don’t you?