Do You Have What You Want or Want What You Have? - Girlfriends in God - August 20, 2015

August 20, 2015
Do You Have What You Want or Want What You Have?
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need (Psalm 23:1 NLT).

Friend to Friend

Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Momma and Papa Bluebird danced in front of our sunroom windows, trying frantically to break through the glass barrier. Time and time again they banged their feathered heads against the panes. What were they pursuing? Where were they trying to go? What had caught their eye? Why were they so persistent? I wanted desperately to help them solve their dilemma, but I couldn’t figure out what the dilemma was.

After three days of this featherbrained, frenzied activity, I decided to put myself in their position, get a bird’s-eye view, and examine the situation from their perspective. I stepped out onto the patio, stood in front of the windows, and there it was. In the reflection of the glass was mirrored their birdhouse, some thirty feet behind me.

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird’s lovely cedar-shingled home with decorative finial, sat on a tall pole nestled under the protective branches of an old oak tree. Their bed and breakfast came equipped with an adjoining spa—a concrete birdbath surrounded by fragrant rosebushes bursting with red blossoms. But instead of being satisfied with their high-rise estate, they were banging their heads against the pane striving for a mirage—a mere reflection.

Amazingly, a few times they turned around, soared to their home, and crawled through its opening for a reprieve. But before long, they were dive bombing into the glass again, trying to gain entrance into an illusion of something better.

This made me think of my own life and the many times I go flutter, flutter, bang—flutter, flutter, bang—striving for something that is just a cheap imitation of God’s perfect provision for my life.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans that I have for you, to prosper you, and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”

And yet I argue, “Yeah, I know that God. I know you’ve provided me with this home and this job and with this wonderful life. But, well, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or anything, but I reaaaaly would be happy if you’d give me a house like Mary’s over there. And you know Beth? Well I reaaaaly would be happy if you made me a Bible teacher like she is. And you know Teresa? If I could just be as sweet as she is, I’d be satisfied. Then there’s Laura. Now God, she has the prettiest silky hair. Could I just have hair like hers? Don’t get me wrong, Lord. I do appreciate you given me hair, but if I could just have…………….”

Well, you get the picture.

Flutter. Flutter. Bang! Flutter. Flutter. Bang!

The banging birds may have knocked themselves silly, but they also knocked some sense into my hard head. God has provided me with everything I need. As the psalmist wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need” (Psalm 23:1 NLT).

I can flutter about looking at the mirage of happiness in other people’s windows, or I can nestle down in contentment and not get my feathers ruffled trying to get more. The way to keep from fluttering around from one mirage of happiness to the other is to stay close to home and be satisfied with my own nest, my own feathers, and my own chicks.

I’ve learned that I’m most content when I’m at home in the Father’s will, nestled in His protective branches, and nurtured by His Living water.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me when I complain about what I don’t have and when I am not thankful for what I do have. Thank You for being my Shepherd who has given me everything I need. I love you so much.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

Now It’s Your Turn

How thankful are you today for the blessings and provisions of God?

Consider writing Him a thank you note. Let me get you started.

Dear God,

I want to thank You for…

More from the Girlfriends

Don’t you love reading stories of God’s fingerprints on the pages of everyday life? My book, Listening to God Day by Day is a storehouse of 100 of my favorite devotional stories all in one collection. Some stories will make you laugh. Some stories will make you cry—and every story will point you to God and strengthen your relationship with Him. And if you would like to learn more about how to listen to God so that you can have stories of your own, see the companion book, Becoming a Woman who Listens to God.

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