Being Made to Rest

Being Made to Rest

by David Brenneman 

Life Principle 20: Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.

The Lord has a unique plan for your life—one that does not change according to unexpected circumstances. When you confront a situation that does not line up with your understanding of how God wants your life to proceed, you must stop and look to Him for direction. Sometimes He allows disappointments to occur so you will learn to rely on Him more fully—to walk by faith and not by sight. But never forget this: While disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice. You should never allow the challenges that arise to steal your enthusiasm or confidence in Him. - Dr. Charles Stanley Life Principles. 

These kinds of weeks are rough when it keeps feeling like I am supposed to be doing something more than I am doing.  

"He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake." Psalms 23:2-3.

Makes me lie down. How often did we not want to do this when we were children. Being told it's our bedtime and fighting for a few more moments to stay awake. 

We then get taught the value of taking naps in Kindergarten and the cruelty of not being able to for decades afterwards. 

While this forced absence from work goes on this week I haven't been unbusy. Helping my Wife with some aspects of the garden, mowing, sorting and organizing part of the garage. Putting up blinds, putting the top back on the gazebo. Creating a handrail off the deck. Making a better attachment to the shed to keep the doors closed on the old thing. Continuing to read my study Bibles and devotionals. Added Streams in the Desert and another by Dr. David Jeremiah. Praying to remember what I am reading and understanding what I am reading. 

Yet in all this there's times when I want to scream. I wanted a vacation week and yes God provided one but the circumstances have been less than desirable. It's both a good thing and disappointing as to how it came about. I am caught between satisfied and frustrated. Disappointment.  

It's a hard thing to not transition from disappointment to discouragement. I have been looking for more that Dr. Charles Stanley wrote on the subject.  

Making the best of a disappointing experience is what I am striving for. God's taken care of what money was lost because of this situation. He has been keeping our costs down in doing things or obtaining things to do what's been needed and necessary. 

There's something on the horizon that I just can't make out yet.  

My additional prayer is to not be bitter about the decision my employer made. Many others there certainly are.  

We choose to go down some roads without asking Jesus first. Bitterness is a road, however, that Jesus never traveled. We shouldn't either.  

Being angry and not sinning is also an animal we really shouldn't wrestle with. We really don't have the fortitude to know how to think clearly while being angry. Inevitably choices get made in haste and the consequences can be disastrous. 

We're instructed to not let the sun go down on our anger. Don't go to bed angry. 

So while this page in my life isn't ideal to me it is part of God's plan for me. Will get stuff done that's overdue and maybe accomplish things that I had thought about. 

Either way I choose to either take it as God's intending or choose to have the wrong thoughts about it. 

One of the places that Dr. Stanley went to is Habakkuk. Habakkuk wrote of how utterly incredible what he was told was about to happen was going to happen. He really was beside himself. Yet he wasn't going to allow those circumstances change his view of God causing it to turn out for good for himself and Israel.  

We choose to lie down or at times He makes us lie down. Stubborn as we are most of the time He makes us lie down. 

We make kick and scream but inevitably we will lie down because He says it's what He knows we need.  

So I breathe, take another breath, and set into the day ready to do whatever God puts before me to be doing.

All New American Standard Bible Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. A corporation not for profit.