What is this season? Let's go back to the season comparison. When it's winter, we are ready for spring. When it's summer, we are ready for fall. I usually skip winter and go right back to spring. There is much anticipation for the next season. My life, and your life, are no different. If we are in the season of singleness, we are waiting on the season of marriage. If we are married, we might very well be waiting on the season of parenting. If you're a little older, you might be waiting on the season of the empty nest. It's all quite overwhelming if you take a step back and think about it. Are we ever going to be satisfied in the season we are in?
I literally woke up in the middle of the night a couple of eves ago thinking about how many people from the Bible were unsatisfied. They wanted something else other than what God had given them. Eve. Sarah. Hannah. Jonah. Rachel. The Israelites -all the time. Just to name a few. If we are at all honest with ourselves, we are no different. Just on Friday night, I was thinking "Man it sure would be nice to have a fun date tonight!" No biggie. But in fact, it is a biggie. It's unsatisfaction. Lump all those desires for something else into one, and you get a big ball disaster that leads to bitterness, doubt, mistrust and --- idols.
The Israelites don't know how good they had it. I don't know how good I have it. God brought them out of Egypt and from under Pharaoh's oppression to a land that was greater than anything they could imagine. Yet, they sent spies ahead to check everything out! They wanted food! They wanted meat! They wanted water! They eventually wanted a king! They continuously wanted more than what God had provided. He had given them everything they needed, but they assumed they deserved more.
Are we any different? Nope! We think we deserve the spouse, the new job, the better position, the leadership role, the new car, the children, the award, the promotion, the new wardrobe. Fill in the blank. We've all been there. And especially around the day of Valentine's we think we deserve theeee..... you guessed it... spouse. Questions plague our mind: Why not me? Well I've done x,y and z, shouldn't that amount to something? But I've gone to every church service and volunteered? Am I not good enough? Does God not love me? Is there something I need to fix? Why is He dangling this over my head?
Those questions are real. They've plagued my mind 1000s of times. And what I realize is that I'm no different than one of those Israelites. I'm not satisfied. I'm not satisfied with the exact season God has me in right now. I have turned down the portion He has given me, or better yet turned my nose up at it like I deserve something better. But His portion is better!
Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup.
You have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.
Surely I have a delightful inheritace.
Psalm 16: 5-6
Elisabeth Elliot expounds on these few verses to say that God grants our portion for the day just like He granted the portion of manna for the Israelites. They were given just what they needed for the day to sustain them. They had all they needed in front of them. They had no need of looking in worry to the future because God had diligently provided for them each day. Same goes with us. If you're single, your portion for today is singleness. Trust Him in that today, and delight in the portion you have been given. It's exactly what you need today, and He will strengthen you for all that is in store for today. We need not look to the future and worry about whether or not our portion will change from singleness to marriage to married with children. He knows our portion, and thus He controls it. Portion control.
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