Where is My Milk and Honey?
So I got upset with God a day ago (as we all do, at some point). I was driving on my way back home when I called my girlfriend, catching up on each other's day. A family pet of hers recently passed away after eight years and she was taking it pretty badly. Not wanting to cloud her mind with my personal worries, I didn't say anything. I listened and let her mourn. That's what good friends should do. Giving your ears can be the best gift you can ever give someone. It becomes a personified bowl that one can pour their tears, fears, and frustrations into only to let it sit or be emptied out for no later usage. Not being able to hug her was a bummer, which meant we had to settle for silent pauses to accept the reality and attempt to move forward. Besides that, eventually, what was brewing inside of me increased in heat and my emotions couldn't contain it.
A passionate rant had begun as I cruised down I-20 after the sun had fully clocked out and the moon was on it's typical night shift. Holding the phone in my hand while driving with the other, I proceeded to increase my voice towards the microphone. I exclaimed about how I found it totally unfair that God had brought me this far only to deny me of what I assumed I deserved. You know that feeling when you've changed aspects of who you are, especially how you think and react to life's unexpectedness. That great sense of accomplishment straightens your back, reminding you that you are no longer who you use to be. You have evolved, becoming stronger, wiser, no longer subject to making the same mistakes. New ones are around the corner, don't get me wrong, but are of a different caliber. More challenging. Almost coming to tears, I informed my girlfriend, I don't get it! My heart rate increased as well as the silence between my girlfriend and I. Why won't God let me be a man is what I asked her. She laughed not because she thought I was being ridiculous, but because she perfectly understood from where I was coming.
She proceeded to react to my frustration by reminding me that as Moses was delivering the children of Israel (God's chosen people at the time), they were complaining, requesting to go back opposed to going any further. They were guaranteed a land of milk and honey and before them was the great Red Sea, creating a blockage between them and God's promise. The fact that it was His promise didn't have any effect towards how they felt momentarily. Their faith in God's solidity had begun to diminish. Many had rather entered back into slavery than to attempt to cross this mass obstruction of water and deal with harshness of traveling great distances by foot. Like me, they asked, What's the point? My girlfriend reminded me that all God asked...was that they wait. Wait. After so many years held captive, losing family, dying of hunger and mistreatment, we've come this far only to wait for our blessing? What kind of mess is that? Like me, they weren't focused on what was beyond the travel, but the devastating land upon which they walked and the momentary conditions they had to endure.
There's a song by Jackie Hill Perry titled "I Just Wanna Get There" from her album The Art of Joy. Just think about the title I just wanna get there... That's exactly how the Israelites felt. They wanted to get there, receive everything they've been deprived of for decades. Perry's song proceeds to say in the chorus:
A passionate rant had begun as I cruised down I-20 after the sun had fully clocked out and the moon was on it's typical night shift. Holding the phone in my hand while driving with the other, I proceeded to increase my voice towards the microphone. I exclaimed about how I found it totally unfair that God had brought me this far only to deny me of what I assumed I deserved. You know that feeling when you've changed aspects of who you are, especially how you think and react to life's unexpectedness. That great sense of accomplishment straightens your back, reminding you that you are no longer who you use to be. You have evolved, becoming stronger, wiser, no longer subject to making the same mistakes. New ones are around the corner, don't get me wrong, but are of a different caliber. More challenging. Almost coming to tears, I informed my girlfriend, I don't get it! My heart rate increased as well as the silence between my girlfriend and I. Why won't God let me be a man is what I asked her. She laughed not because she thought I was being ridiculous, but because she perfectly understood from where I was coming.
She proceeded to react to my frustration by reminding me that as Moses was delivering the children of Israel (God's chosen people at the time), they were complaining, requesting to go back opposed to going any further. They were guaranteed a land of milk and honey and before them was the great Red Sea, creating a blockage between them and God's promise. The fact that it was His promise didn't have any effect towards how they felt momentarily. Their faith in God's solidity had begun to diminish. Many had rather entered back into slavery than to attempt to cross this mass obstruction of water and deal with harshness of traveling great distances by foot. Like me, they asked, What's the point? My girlfriend reminded me that all God asked...was that they wait. Wait. After so many years held captive, losing family, dying of hunger and mistreatment, we've come this far only to wait for our blessing? What kind of mess is that? Like me, they weren't focused on what was beyond the travel, but the devastating land upon which they walked and the momentary conditions they had to endure.
There's a song by Jackie Hill Perry titled "I Just Wanna Get There" from her album The Art of Joy. Just think about the title I just wanna get there... That's exactly how the Israelites felt. They wanted to get there, receive everything they've been deprived of for decades. Perry's song proceeds to say in the chorus:
"God, You're making me better
You're making me better
And You choose to do it however, whenever, wherever..."
You're making me better
And You choose to do it however, whenever, wherever..."
At the gym, this song was blasting through my headphones, almost bringing me to tears with dumbbells on my legs, ready to lift. Bowing my head, I was jamming, agreeing with her, refusing to not accept God's reformation. God was taking His people somewhere even the Egyptians couldn't follow. That's what he's doing to all of us. He's preparing us for our land of milk and honey. It may seem pointless at times and a bit overwhelming, but if you hang in there and wait, you'll receive your just reward. God wants what's best for His children and He's willing "to do it however, whenever, wherever..." . If you find yourself yelling at God, go ahead. I've mentioned this before because I did something similar two years ago. He has to stretch you. He has to bend you, but He won't break you. If He didn't do that to His only begotten Son, he definitely won't do that to you.
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