True Life & Satisfaction

Unfortunately, writing a couple of posts on grumbling hasn't made me a 100% thankful woman. And so, on with this little series!

The third point that Tripp gives for our complaint-based lifestyles is this: we seek to find life in the creation rather than in the Creator.

"It begins to believe the lie of lies from the garden of Eden-that somehow outside of the Lord I can find life. The lie is that life can be found in human acceptance, in human love, in position, and possession. In this way, I deify the creation and forget the Creator." (pg.49)

Here is what that can look like for me: in my heart I believe that true satisfaction/life comes from an orderly house, smiling children, a husband who completely understands me, a healthy family, and getting a shower in each day (I'm being serious here). When Tali dumps out MORE toys or Owen has another concerning diaper or I'm going on the third day without a shower, I start complaining. I begin thinking, "If only Tali would learn to pick up her toys on her own without me having to train her...then my day would be so wonderful." Or, "If Josh could just read my mind without me having to tell him what I'm thinking, then marriage would be so much sweeter!" Can you hear what's underneath it all? I'm looking for satisfaction & life outside of my Creator and looking for it in His creation. And when the creation doesn't give me what I want, I grumble. What does God say about this?

"The Bible tells us that the blessings the Lord gives us in this physical world are meant to hook us to a deeper sense of need. Christ gave bread to fill the stomachs of people so they would understand that their deeper need was the bread of life: deeper blessings that can only be found in Him. Romans 1:25 says we tend to exchange worship and service of the Creator for worship and service of the created thing." (pg.49)

The more I look for life in the things of this world that won't satisfy, the more I grumble. This is where change starts; I must acknowledge the fact that I complain. I seek to find life in other places instead of in the one place where true life is found-Jesus Christ. But, there is hope for change! We grumblers can become thankful worshipers of God!

Tomorrow I'll share some elements of the thank-based lifestyle.