How Something You Hate Actually Makes Your Life Better

Posted by Michael

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God…”

                            -Hebrews 11:6

Do you hate uncertainty? 

       The uncontrollable moments of life? 

               Problems that seem to lack solutions?

                     Questions that have no clear answers?

Me too.

But God seems oddly ok with our inabilities.

In fact, if the writer of The Letter to the Hebrews from the New Testament is to be believed, it’s in those moments that we are able to please God the most. With that in mind, here are a couple of thoughts on pleasing God….

1)Quit playing in the kiddie pool.

The kiddie pool represents the safe places in life. In these places, like in shallow water, nothing is required of us. We can anticipate and control anything that might happen in water that’s knee deep, but that’s not where we were created to be. We were made with the deep waters of life in mind. We were fashioned to risk the big waves and unforeseen storms that come miles away from shore. Those places feel dangerous, but those are the places where God lurks. We please God when we dream dreams that are too big for us to accomplish on our own, when we love people that are impossible to love, and forgive people that are the most guilty. It’s in those spots that God steps in and provides all that we cannot. Maybe we accomplish feats that we never thought possible, or maybe we fall short, but find that we have been changed for the better in ways we never expected.

2)Lean

God did not create a world that you can handle on your own, so lean. Lean into God when life doesn’t make sense. Lean so far that if God doesn’t come through, you’ll fall flat on your face.  The further you lean, the more of his strength you will find. Leaning is counterintuitive. We were raised to take care of life as independently as possible, which means that leaning isn’t natural for us. It requires practice. So, lean on friends and family members to help you when you need it. Lean on the experiences and mercy of others. Ask for help and accept it when it is offered, even if you secretly believe you can do it all on your own.

The things we lack like insight, ability, and control, are the empty spaces in our life where God wants to pour His love and hope. The more we admit how much we lack, the more space we have for God to pour into us. So, I hope your day finds you gloriously inept, brilliantly incompetent, and hopelessly over your head. Those are the places where God meets us and life becomes truly beautiful.