Daily Delight
I know the secret of life. (Shhhh…don’t tell anyone.)Now, I don’t practice this secret all the time. If I did, if I could, I would never grow impatient and I would never complain.The Israelites, who had witnessed God’s miracles daily, certainly didn’t know the secret. (Numbers 21:4-5) This was the second generation of people that God had protected and provided for. These complainers never made it into the Promised Land. They couldn’t see past their desire for something better, something else, something they thought that God wouldn’t give them.I can relate. After I miscarried the first time, the desire for another baby consumed me. I couldn’t see past it. I couldn’t be thankful for the three amazing children I already had. And when I did get pregnant again and was told that it wasn’t a viable pregnancy, I spiraled into the pit of despair. It was the end of my prayer life. It was the beginning of the season I spent in the desert. I learned the secret of life in the desert. That’s what brought me back to relationship with God.The true secret of life is being content in all circumstances. Contentment is a learned behavior. It’s not an emotion.We read about the Israelites whining and we roll our eyes. “Seriously? Again?” we say. “Didn’t God just give you water out of a rock for, like, the third time? What is wrong with you?” Emotion. That’s the problem. We can’t separate what’s happening from the way it makes us feel. And when we look at something through the spectrum of emotion, we blow it out of proportion and presto: discontent.So, how do we practice the secret of life? It’s all about perspective. We look to Jesus and remember: even if all the world falls apart and none of our worldly desires come to be, we are held tight by our Savior and “the Promised Land”/heaven awaits us.
About the Author
Stephanie Cardel
Stephanie Cardel is a wife of thirty years, mother of three grown children, leader of Bible studies, and writer of a blog about Jesus in the Old Testament. She also writes YA and MG fiction and volunteers in her local public schools teaching abstinence.If you need her, you can dig your way through the overflowing piles of books to her room, where she’ll be curled up with a cup of mocha coffee doing one of three things: studying her Bible, reading fiction, or writing. You can also visit her websites:www.withopenedeyes.com, www.checkoutthesebooks.com, or follow her on twitter @StephanieCardel or @fixingmyeyes.
