Restless

Do you ever get that "restless" feeling, like you are itching to go, do, or be something different?  Well, I've got it.  Do I have any profound answers as to what I want to do, or better yet should do?  Nope.  Not a clue. 

Perhaps I need to learn contentment, but I'm not finding much to be content about these days. (Hello...see my problem?)

Galations 5 has really resonated with me this week, and I particularly like the version from the Message (I have a parallel Bible so I can read the NIV alongside the Message.  I really like the context it provides.  For now, I'll just leave you with the very straight-forward Message version):

From Verse 21:
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time...a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants...an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival...ugly parodies of community. I could go on...

From verses 22-23: (The fruit of the Spirit)
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

And then Hebrews 12:1-3, also from the Message:
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

I find it rather ironic that I'm LITERALLY having trouble with my vision lately.  My eye doctor said it's from looking at a computer screen all day.  Great.  I'm taking it as a reminder that I need to fix my eyes on Jesus, and He will give me the next step.  Until then, I'm just going to have to learn some patience, which, perhaps, is the point of all this right now. 

Hope this provided you with some insight for today.  And if not, thanks for reading.  :-)