AARGH!!!
We are studying the book of Exodus in church. I marvel at how God rescued His people out of bondage by a man named Moses in the form of Charlton Heston. I also marvel at the fact that five seconds later (figuratively), the Israelites begin to complain about their unfortunate circumstances. They grumble:
What’s up with this desert?
Are we ever going to stop?
Have we been abandoned?
Are we there yet?
Is this what our lives were meant to be?
I would love a bowl of Egyptian hummus right about now.
Had I been Moses or Charlton Heston, I would have taken my bullhorn and said, “EXCUSE ME, YOU UNGRATEFUL PEOPLE! Let me break down the blessings for you:”
God spared you during the tenth plague
God brought you out of the house of slavery
God defeated Pharaoh
God provided bread from the sky
God provided water from a rock
In case you’re not clued in, whiny Israelites, GOD’S GOT THIS.
I roll my eyes at the Israelites and shake my head, ashamed for them that they didn’t just trust and be thankful. Then I analyze my own life and quickly realize that I am a modern-day Israelite.
It happens every August/September. The beginning of school is a punch in the gut for me. As a single person who has always wanted kids, social media is the worst place for me to visit during this time. I become frustrated that all schools don’t start on the exact same day so we can get the first day of school pictures with darling kids holding chalkboard signs over with in one fell swoop. I become mad that I am frustrated, since it was my choice to click on Facebook in the first place. I become sad that I will never have one of those pictures to share.
Then I take to the bed and watch an entire season of the Great British Baking Show while I mull over all of the injustices of my life.
What is up with this singleness?
Is it ever going to end?
Why do I feel abandoned?
Will I ever get to a place where this feels normal?
Is this what my life was meant to be?
I would love a package of Halloween Oreo cookies right about now.
Can you hear that? It’s Moses picking up his bullhorn shouting, “EXCUSE ME, YOU UNGRATEFUL PERSON. Let me break down the blessings for you:”
God spared you during a hard divorce
God brought you out of a depression
God defeated the darkness
God provided an incredible opportunity for you to write
God provided people who take the time to read those words
In case you’re not clued in, whiny Lincee, GOD’S GOT THIS.
Therefore, I’m exactly where God wants me.
It’s time to stop moaning and complaining about what I don’t have and to remember what I do have. And WHO I have on my side.
I’m feeling this so much. My blessings I need to count are different from yours, of course, but the longing in my heart for love of partner and family feels similar. Thanks for the reminder today Lincee!
Oh Lincee! I feel you! My life has been riddled with struggle and never ending questions. Mine are different than yours, but the grumbling, discontent, and questioning are familiar. I hear you, I validate the struggle and the emotions. One of my anthems when the inevitable hard times come (for me, for many many years, it was pregnancy announcements, baby showers, holiday family photos, etc), was Desert Song by Hillsong. It was a challenge to myself to see if I really believed the words:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
My heart goes out to you – and I’m praying for His comfort and inspiration for steadfastness.
Thank you for sharing! I just teared up a litttle.
I’m in the middle of a different kind of desert and yes.. I am definitely grumbling and complaining. This morning I had to go back to my counseling lesson 101 from the first time I ever went to counseling, and asked God to help me focus on today. Asked for him to sustain me today and try to guard my mind from thinking about anything else.
Thank you so much for the reminder!
Thank you for sharing. Your blog and your podcast have made me laugh during my own desert journey. I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me, I know I can listen to you and Some Guy or you and Lara and I just know by the end of the podcast I will be in much better mood.
I feel you. My struggle looks different than yours but I know how easy it is to focus on the struggle and forget about the blessings. I lost my Dad to cancer two years ago and I so easily can let my mind focus on the fact that he’s no longer here and the many, many things he’s missing out on. It’s so easy to be angry and think, “Why didn’t you save him, God?!” But, I have to remember that God blessed me with the most amazing Dad in the world. I may not have gotten all the time with him that I wanted, but I had the most wonderful Dad and I should be praising God for that. All that to say, I know our stories may look different, but the lesson is the same. Thank you for being so honest and sharing your heart with us. You bring so much joy to so many people and we are all thankful for your heart and spirit.
Amen!
Lincee, I just teared up reading this. I love your vulnerability. I agree that looking at Facebook and seeing all the signs of “first day of 2nd grade,, etc”, makes me feel sad. My sadness is for another reason. I have kids but they are young. But seeing the signs, I wonder if I’m gonna be as good a mom as the one who made the children’s signs. I don’t feel creative. Who knows if I’ll do a sign.
Just looking at Facebook often makes me compare my life with others. I think God wants me to be thankful Just where he has me.
I love your book, “why I hate green beans”! I love that you share your story. I love your vulnerability. It makes me feel normal and not alone in this life.
And I agree that your podcast makes me have a smile on my face after I listen to you. I look forward to it every week!
Lincee, I loved that picture of Charlie Brown. It has now joined my desktop (ha ha!) so I can be encouraged to make that expression myself whenever I need to (and maybe ward off doing it unexpected and loudly at inappropriate times…). Fall challenges me due to fear. I think I am over it and ready to trust God as half of my client population returns to school be it to study or to teach. I am reminded again that I am not in control, that God will take care of me. I studied the Exodus with BSF and now we are studying the Promised Land… so funny (not really) that their character save a few was so similar regardless that the circumstances had so drastically changed. I hope to be different but have to get honest with God pretty frequently to even have that hope. I would get kind of frustrated with their behavior when my own life seemed good but then later realize they were freaked out about things like NO WATER which is kind of important. It takes less than that to get me started. I agree though God is faithful. Thanks so much for your sharing.
(Different Lara than Lincee’s roommate… 🙂
This is why i keep coming back to the blog! Thank you for being real and encouraging!
First of all, I love the Peanuts. So.. that maybe why I first even opened this. Secondly, and more importantly, yessssss.. so much yess. I feel myself doing this all the time. I have been given all the blessings in the world and feel so grateful. Then I immediately go to everything that is hard. I complain, gripe, and wallow. He’s been there always at every turn in the big and small. Why do I worry? Why do I complain? Why? He’s got it all. I just listened to you on the Happy Hour Podcast, and am glad it introduced me to you! 🙂
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