//Confession: I have wandering eye syndrome.
Don’t get me wrong, my
eyes are firmly planted on my sweet boyfriend. He’s amazing. It’s not that kind
of condition. This is a condition that goes deeper than that. On Sunday I listened
to Pastor Noble shed light on the Israelites cyclical sin patterns, that often
began with an eye that desired more. Whether it was building false gods,
jumping to conclusions, wishing to be like the other tribes and towns, or
complaining, it shouldn’t shock anyone they wandered in the desert for 40
years.
Here’s what dawned on
me; I am an Isrealite. I am one of those
wandering souls in the desert constantly coveting and wishing I could just get
to the mirage of the “good” life ahead. That’s the thing about the
wandering eyes… they lead to wandering hearts; they cultivate idolatry. Don’t
think of it like the gold statue kind of stuff, I’m talking adoration. Matt Chandler says,
“Whatever is uppermost in your affections is your god and will shape every
other aspect of your life”.
Wandering eye syndrome
for me exists in so many areas: career, possessions, wishing I was elsewhere,
or that I could be like so-and-so. Why do they get that and I don’t. I,
much like the Israelites, find myself in cyclical patterns of desire that lead to deserts.
“The comparison game will erode your soul. If
you cannot find complete contentment in the Lord and reject that provision, you
may be in danger of stepping in front of God who is calling you to follow.”
Pastor Noble’s words
echo in my mind. Erode your soul. Yikes. And yet it’s so
true. I try to fix problems and control
scenarios, stepping out of God’s provision and into hardship. I push things to
happen before God’s time and they fall apart. I put my health, wealth, and happiness first and come up short.
God wants to be the sole recipient of my affections, the director of my steps.
He wants lead me into the fulfillment of my destiny.
The
only cure? Stop wasting time chasing mirages and follow Him into the promise land//
4 comments:
Great post. Those words echo in my mind as well. Thank you for shedding some light on this area!
Reminds me of that verse in Colossians about fixing our eyes on the things above and not on earthly things. So hard to do sometimes, but when we do...so very sweet
insightful and applicable to most of us....at any age...reminding me to do a check-up on the eyes of my heart...often! Thanks Lauren...love and blessings ,Beal
It's humbling to read this and see how God used His Word in such a great way in your thoughts and life. Thanks for articulating the message in such a beautiful way, and I LOVE the graphic! Did you make it?! If so, can I use it?
Thanks, Lauren! You're a great writer. I'm glad I stumbled across this entry - saw it on the Northstar wall on Facebook.
Here's the link to the podcast for anyone wanting to catch up:
http://northstarfamily.org/1-chronicles-tribe-of-benjamin/
Post a Comment