unclenched

Today Lewis talks about how we don’t have room for God in our lives, in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

He says that God has to take things away from us before we will realize that He is what we need. And you and I know that it’s usually painful when He takes things from us.

There is another way. We can ask. If, as Lewis says, my hands are too full for me to accept the gift that God is giving me, it isn’t necessary that He make me drop things (or everything) in order to accept His gift. Instead, I can cooperate with Him. I can say, “God, I want what You want for me. Please help me to put the things down that are keeping me from accepting Your gift.” And He will help us to do it in a way that doesn’t hurt us.

Now, there are times I think that some pain is necessary. The Bible tells us that whoever suffers pain in the body is through with sin. And I think there is some deep truth to that. Physical suffering helps us to put sin behind us.

But it’s not all about suffering. God wants us to have joy. He wants us to love the lives He’s given us. His yoke is easy. His burden is light. He has come that we might have abundant life.

I think the healthy and wise balance between suffering on one hand and abundant life on the other is learning to pray in earnest, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth (in my life) as it is in Heaven.” Asking for His will to happen in your life helps your suffering to be redemptive, and  your joy and happiness to be a form of rejoicing in Him.

God, thank You for teaching us that balance.