What do you expect out of Life?
I find myself getting upset over every little thing that does not go my way. This is a problem to me because, as the bible says, it is "the little foxes that spoil the vineyard". This little foxes being the anger and frustration that continually poisons my days and my relationships.
I find myself expecting perfection from myself and others, which creates a lot of frustration because this, obviously, never works out. Let me be clear, this is not a logical expectation. I do not wake up in the morning and decide that my day is going to be perfect and everyone will perform and behave perfectly. Logically, I know that this life and this world are imperfect, but emotionally I do not.
At an emotional level, I find myself frustrated when things, events, others, or myself do not work out or perform the way I envisioned them. Even though I do not think that perfection is possible, I certainly do expect it. This is what I call an emotional habit. I believe people in the psychological world may call this the "subconscious", or "automatic thoughts."
And how many of our friendships, marriages, churches, offices, etc, are plagued by this quarreling and fighting that James is talking about? What examples are we setting for the lost world out there? Are we showing the kind of love that Jesus showed to the lost? Why or why not? Is it, maybe, that we are living selfish lives, and this selfishness makes us angry and bitter people?
I must admit that if I were on the outside looking in, I would not be attracted by what can be observed in a lot of churches nowadays. Christ is very appealing, the love that He expresses is definitely attractive, but His Christians (myself included) and the love they express are a different matter. Why is the difference between us and our Christ so vast?
Can it be because we are more focused on ourselves and our "wants" than Him?
I find myself getting upset over every little thing that does not go my way. This is a problem to me because, as the bible says, it is "the little foxes that spoil the vineyard". This little foxes being the anger and frustration that continually poisons my days and my relationships.
I find myself expecting perfection from myself and others, which creates a lot of frustration because this, obviously, never works out. Let me be clear, this is not a logical expectation. I do not wake up in the morning and decide that my day is going to be perfect and everyone will perform and behave perfectly. Logically, I know that this life and this world are imperfect, but emotionally I do not.
At an emotional level, I find myself frustrated when things, events, others, or myself do not work out or perform the way I envisioned them. Even though I do not think that perfection is possible, I certainly do expect it. This is what I call an emotional habit. I believe people in the psychological world may call this the "subconscious", or "automatic thoughts."
"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." James 4:1-3, ESV
And how many of our friendships, marriages, churches, offices, etc, are plagued by this quarreling and fighting that James is talking about? What examples are we setting for the lost world out there? Are we showing the kind of love that Jesus showed to the lost? Why or why not? Is it, maybe, that we are living selfish lives, and this selfishness makes us angry and bitter people?
I must admit that if I were on the outside looking in, I would not be attracted by what can be observed in a lot of churches nowadays. Christ is very appealing, the love that He expresses is definitely attractive, but His Christians (myself included) and the love they express are a different matter. Why is the difference between us and our Christ so vast?
Can it be because we are more focused on ourselves and our "wants" than Him?
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