Live Life to the Hilt: about me
Live Life to the Hilt
Devotionals, quotes from parents or other loved writers, thoughts, experiences
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Tyranny of our ideals
Live Life to the Hilt
"There's nothing wrong with admitting there are aspects of life that disappoint. There's nothing wrong with recognizing the way things ought to go as distinct from the way they do. And there's nothing wrong with the impulse within for something like perfection. In fact, there's a lot right about all of these things. But as always, just because something is right doesn't preclude its getting twisted into something hideous. When we let our yearning for perfection, or the ideal, rob us of our joy and ability to find contentment in what's here and now real, at least when what's real is indeed worthy of our love and appreciation, we're not being wise or philosophical. We're being fools, having abdicated most all the joy of which we're capable in this life."
This quote is from a website called the Morris Institute, which someone on a plane recommended to me. Christ is missing from it as far as I have read, but the human ideas point to the truth of our resting in God's sovereign reign in our lives. Nothing gives more peace and contentment than the truth of His dying in our place and rising from the dead in order to make us new creations in His righteousness. I have been in that thought life of wishing with all my heart that I could be perfect or make my family perfect, and Christ has opened my eyes and heart to accept that HE only is perfect, that He wants to make me contented in His righteousness, and that His Joy over me (Nehemiah 8:10) is now my joy and strength. My ideals had become my idols , and I had been straining to obtain those ideals in my own effort, which only brought grief and frustration. By His Grace, I begin again (every day) learning Galatians 2:20---I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me, that I might live no more for myself, and my idols, but by His strength, live for Him. I see my own failures every day, my weakness in living wholeheartedly for Him, and my only hope is in His continuing work in sanctifying me. Hebrews 10:14 is SO ENCOURAGING! He will finish the work He has begun.
"There's nothing wrong with admitting there are aspects of life that disappoint. There's nothing wrong with recognizing the way things ought to go as distinct from the way they do. And there's nothing wrong with the impulse within for something like perfection. In fact, there's a lot right about all of these things. But as always, just because something is right doesn't preclude its getting twisted into something hideous. When we let our yearning for perfection, or the ideal, rob us of our joy and ability to find contentment in what's here and now real, at least when what's real is indeed worthy of our love and appreciation, we're not being wise or philosophical. We're being fools, having abdicated most all the joy of which we're capable in this life."
This quote is from a website called the Morris Institute, which someone on a plane recommended to me. Christ is missing from it as far as I have read, but the human ideas point to the truth of our resting in God's sovereign reign in our lives. Nothing gives more peace and contentment than the truth of His dying in our place and rising from the dead in order to make us new creations in His righteousness. I have been in that thought life of wishing with all my heart that I could be perfect or make my family perfect, and Christ has opened my eyes and heart to accept that HE only is perfect, that He wants to make me contented in His righteousness, and that His Joy over me (Nehemiah 8:10) is now my joy and strength. My ideals had become my idols , and I had been straining to obtain those ideals in my own effort, which only brought grief and frustration. By His Grace, I begin again (every day) learning Galatians 2:20---I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me, that I might live no more for myself, and my idols, but by His strength, live for Him. I see my own failures every day, my weakness in living wholeheartedly for Him, and my only hope is in His continuing work in sanctifying me. Hebrews 10:14 is SO ENCOURAGING! He will finish the work He has begun.