“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. ‘Give me…or I will die!’” Ge 30:1
This story is one that is truly heartbreaking, as it gives us a snapshot of what happens when our deepest desires go unmet. It is a story between two sisters, one who desperately wanted love and the other who desperately wanted children. They lived under the same roof and the comparison scale was unyielding. Two heart cries…two unmet desires…two unanswered prayers…two discontented lives. What a mess they made of it by interjecting their own ideas of how and when to bring about receiving the desires of their hearts. One lacked what the other had and they made their lives miserable.
Their stories just might be our stories this morning. What set of circumstances has God blessed you with that I am waiting to walk out? What situation do you see in my life for which you have been waiting? We all have a circle of family and friends…our own scale that we are constantly watching. We load our unmet dreams and hurts on one side causing a lop-sided balance. We pray… we plead…we watch and yet the scale doesn’t move. We are confident it will kill us, ‘Give me…or I will die’! So, what does cause the scale to get re-calibrated when our dreams go unfulfilled and our hearts are heavy?
God has wired our hearts to combat envy with two powerful attitudes…contentment for where we are and gratitude for where we’ve been. Each day God gives us an opportunity to practice these heart attitudes and it is our choice whether we join Him or not. ‘The more you stop staring at the blessings of others and focus in on what God is stirring in you, contentment will come. Contentment is the hallmark of living fully in the present.’ Nicki Koziarz, Rachel & Leah, p. 113. Contentment is a choice and once it is your goal, gratitude will follow. You can be satisfied today because of what God provided yesterday. True gratitude and contentment is hard to separate – one is the beautiful shadow of the other. Once you apply these attitudes to your life, you will slowly see the scale move back to a balanced life in Christ. Have you ever noticed that scales are intersected by a cross? When we live out Christ centered lives we are blessed by a beautiful balance.
“We’ve especially got to be on guard. If we’re not careful, we’ll miss what God has right in front of us: the blessings, the dreams, and the desires. He’s got them just for us.” Rachel & Leah, p. 112.
“This is GOD’s Word on the subject… ‘I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.’” Jeremiah 29:11.
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