The Planet of Cham

I am learning that the things we cherish such as freedom, luxury, vacation, comfortability, money, enjoyment, etc, are just vehicles for God to use to take us to a place closer with Him. You may totally disagree with me, and I am totally ok with that. Think of this though, 9 times out of 10 when our life is altered, violated, messed up, or destroyed..what do we do? We become super dependent of God. Eventually, even the ones who do not know Him or want to know Him more than likely begin to pray or say things like "keep me in your prayers" or "I pray". It is how we are wired. We have a dependence wiring deep in us put there by a Creator.

The things in our life: material, immaterial, luxurious, and vile are all tools, vehicles, spiritual adrenaline shots, to take us to a place closer to God. The human side of me says, "this sucks", but then the humble, broken side of me says, "Ok God, I have depended on me more than You. I have gotten comfortable. I have lived without you or lived like you were just a friend or neighbor and not my God." I am always amazed how God brings or allows things to come in and out of our lives' that are purposed to draw us closer to Him.

Its frustrating, but worth it. I feel like Charlie Brown with the frustration squiggle constantly above my head. I hate to love it, and love to hate it. At the end of the day, I am thankful. I am thankful that He loves me enough to take me through it to bring me into a closer relationship with Him. It is all worth it.

I sound like a madman at times, but its in the furnace where the purest for of metal. Its in the furnace of life, where God brings out the purest forms of Himself in us.