Some days, melancholy wakes you up in the morning.
Other days you see it coming down the road and, though you try to avoid it, it catches up to you anyway.
And then some days it just whallomphs you out of the blue for no apparent reason.
Why is contentment such an elusive thing?
What sets off that inner longing after a quiet, peaceful holiday of contentment?
I don’t know.
But it comes and goes, with no apparent rhyme or reason.
I’m just fine, and then suddenly I’m crying in my bathtub at night because I just want so badly.
I’m tempted to wallow in a little pity party. To complain about the situations God has placed me in. I’m tempted to cry for all the dreams that haven’t been fulfilled, for all the longings unmet.
But if there’s anything that I’ve been learning this year so far, it’s that I need to turn my eyes to Christ.
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
~C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity
Don’t forget to take a look at Barbara H’s meme “The Week in Words”, where bloggers collect quotes they’ve read throughout the week.
That’s something I have to (or should) constantly remind myself of — that the things in this life, even the good ones, don’t provide lasting satisfaction because they can’t, they’re not meant to. Thanks for reminding me.
“Made for another world” – amen to that!
I’ve learned that, despite my dreams of marriage and motherhood and missions and other things being fulfilled, I still have, as you put it, “longings unmet.” I’ve also learned that it’s supposed to be that way. Otherwise, I would forget that “this world is not my home.”
I love how you participate in this meme and share your heart, along with the quote(s).
One of my favorite CS Lewis quotes of all time. OH…*sigh*…always a timely reminder!! Cyber ))HUG(( to you!!
Sometimes it’s so easy to feel like God isn’t taking as good care of us as he is capable. But the Lewis quote is so applicable: it’s not just for THIS world that God is taking care of us; it’s for his spiritual kingdom and our long-term good. Thanks for the reminder…
The problem comes when we believe the lie that says the desire we are feeling IS satisfied in an earthly thing, just not one we are experiencing right now. I, too, love that quote. What a great reminder!