“… And they lived happily ever after.” We feed it to our four-year-olds, except it’s not true. Not yet anyway – not ‘til heaven. Life is hard. Too often when we are restless in our current season and wanting more, we fall into fairy-tale thinking. We wish away our current circumstances in the hope of our brighter future, our happily ever after.
We tell ourselves life will be better one day when…
- I finish my degree.
- I get married.
- I pay off the mortgage.
- The kids are grown up.
- I lose weight.
- I have more time.
- (Fill in the blank).
This kind of thinking is surreptitious and sneaky, and it evolves with each stage of life. The problem is that one day is always just out of reach.
No More Fairy-Tale Thinking
Ruth Chou Simons has hard-won truths to share with us in Now and Not Yet. Rather than waiting for the elusive one day when, she shows us how to grow closer to God and make the most of each day, starting today.
For anyone who relates with feeling restless in their current season and wanting more, Simons’ insights are challenging but mostly encouraging. I’d read her book over again for the value of being gently reminded of truth. She has a way of writing that leaves us rejoicing over our current season (the one we were complaining about just yesterday).
Every Today is Purposeful
Simons shakes us out of the fairy-tale mindset of one day when. Just because our current season is hidden or chaotic or limited does not mean that it is purposeless. She awakens us to the possibility – the reality – that God is using the very things that cause us frustration or discouragement to form us into all he intends us to be.
“The truth is, if you and I are angsty and restless about the right nows of our lives, it has less to do with a desire for progress and more to do with a doubt that our present reality is purposeful for what is not yet fulfilled.”
For young moms, caregivers, and those who desire to be used by God, I especially recommend the chapter on hiddenness. There are no wasted seasons. God is perfectly capable of bringing his plans for us to fulfilment through hiddenness or visibility.
As a writer, I’d love to influence many people through my writing. I find myself wanting more time, more experience, more exposure. It is tempting to fall in step with the world’s advice to get out there, spread the word – in a word: strive. But Simons’ reminder that touched me most is simply that God created me for himself, not for platforms or praises. God enjoys being with me as I make yet another dinner – and that relationship is purpose enough.
Could Chaos Have Purpose?
About chaos (and I think of my home of young children that defaults to mess everywhere) Simons challenges our beliefs about control. Perhaps like me you have “bought into thinking if we can control now or get on top of everything we would somehow feel at peace.”
Somehow reading that last line aloud exposes its falsity. Of course we know our peace is not dependent on our circumstances; it’s dependent on our relationship with Jesus. Simons takes us one step further. What if the chaos is purposeful? What if God even designs “strategic instability”? (Sigh!)
Over and over in the Bible we read narratives about God calling the unlikely to accomplish his plans and so God may be praised – not the people he worked through. That means God can use (and is using) you and me, though probably through our weaknesses rather than our strengths.
“He is still the God who calls us to more than we can handle on our own so that we’ll know his faithfulness more fully.”
What You Do Today Counts
Our lives are finite, so let us not waste one day. We don’t suddenly become a capable parent, a skilled artist, or a patient prayer-warrior. These things take practice, and when better to practice than today, even if poorly. “Where you find yourself tomorrow starts with what you choose today.”
Simons’ personal stories draw us in and illustrate spiritual concepts. The questions for refection in certain chapters may dislodge some of our false beliefs and shaky foundations, but Simons firmly anchors us in the truth of God’s sovereignty and goodness. The liturgies or prayer poems at the end of each chapter give readers a chance to express what may be in their own hearts.
I’m sad I have finished the book. It has been a welcome voice of encouragement over the past couple weeks. I’d highly recommend it to those who feel restless and wanting more than their current season allows.
Read also:
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality
2 thoughts on “For Those Restless and Wanting More”
This sounds like such a good read. A good challenge for the everyday. Thank you 🙂
It is! Thanks Carlie. It’s challenging in a comforting way.