Satisfied

So, at the Free Store today, as I strolled in 7-10 minutes late with my kid, I caught some discussion about Jacob's relationship with God and Job's relationship with God. We had quite a few people sharing some struggles and others sharing goodness from God. It was quite to mix of characters this morning, let me tell you.

It was great to hear Paul bring up Job's sobering thought that "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away." Just this morning I had dialogued with God a bit about that thought. Everything is from God. The thought of things being given and/or taken away implies that we even have something-- gifts, and someone-- a giver. This Giver is the same yesterday, today, and forever, in spite of what has or has not been given or taken from us. It should be so apparent that our lives are more than what we posses at any given time.

But let's be realistic. Losing things sucks. Knowing God is beside us is nice and good, but that does not always make it feel better! One thing that always gets me is people talking about doing for others. "Do for others-- you'll feel better." "I always feel good when I help someone else." Well good for you. I feel good when I have 1 too many mimosas on a Sunday afternoon. What's your point here?

I was talking to my dad Sunday as we rode bikes around my neighborhood (I know. So damn cute.) about some of the random and ridiculously sized houses amidst so many other dilapidated ones. Dad said "I can tell you one thing, they're not building up more earth than they already had." In dad-world, that means "The earth was here way before we were and we cannot make there be more or less."

And how often times do I do that? I try to take control and fix when I feel I need more or overcompensate when I feel I need less. Who am I to say what I need? I mean, did I make me? God has given us this beautiful life and, whether he keeps giving or chooses to take, we must make an active choice to be satisfied, because really, what control do we have over it anyway?