The Idolatry of Complaining (More Wisdom From My Husband)

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"God is willing to sacrifice what is important to us in order to reclaim our hearts... 

Much of the loss that tends to take our breath away has to do with God's jealous love... 

His love is beautifully intolerant... He is willing to do drastic things

in order to free us from slavery to this that were never meant to rule us." - Paul David Tripp

I read this and--for a moment--I feel His pursuit.  And I breathe in His affection and His beautifully intolerant love.

Life doesn't make sense, really, but for an instant I believe it doesn't have to.  And I wish I could live like this everyday.

For a moment, I. am. at. peace.

For a moment my vision hugs the horizon instead of clinging to the near-sightedness mess.  Clinging to my clutter.  Desperate for empty comforts.

The world's jagged song whispers, too, and I lend my ear until I can only hear its abrasive clanging over His whispers of truth.  Whispers of grace.  And I join in.  I join in with the clanging and replicate the dark.  And then mock His plan.  We love to blame, and I'm no different.  I shout to the Author and tell Him it's all absolutely wrong.  And then go sin some more and make an even greater mess of things.  It's all so broken.

"We worship what we complain about," my husband said one day.  He really did.

"What?!"  I should be used to the quiet, counter-cultural wisdom, but after 15 years of marriage, he still surprises me.

"Yeah.  We worship what we complain about.  At least I do.  Think about it."

Yes, the very things we scorn in conversation with others are what we ponder all the time.  And the silent demands we make in solitude cloud our worldview until we're practically tripping over the mess. 

Our Maker dares us to see the horizon.  And He reads aloud The Love Story full of tragedy and reconciliation.  And He sings His song to redeem the ancient brokenness we're fostering yet today.

Listen.