Florida-more than just Disney and Old People.

I know that I just posted a terribly depressing thought (except that Jesus is that answer and that isn't depressing, but anyway), but I also wanted to convey that I am not depressed about being in Florida. I think this is God's best for me. And I really like here. To prove this I will compile a list of reasons why.

Why I like Florida:

1. St John's River

2. Saving closet space, b/c you don't need sweaters or jackets

3. The fruit is amazing.

4. No drought

5. Flip-flops year round

6. Men don't wear jean shorts nearly as much as I thought.

7. Pretty trees covered in Spanish Moss

8. The community built with UGA fans living too close to gator country

9. Just when life gets too calm...hurricane season

10. Guaranteed tan

Seeking Second Best

I've been reading through 1 Samuel for the past couple of weeks. I'm going really slowly though. I don't mean to, but with all this election stuff it has been really interesting to think about the change from a theocracy to a monarchy and what that must have been like. I mean to go from God's best plan for you and then demanding to be like everyone else, like the rest of the world. And He warns us against it, but we demand none the less and He gives us our wish. I guess nothing has really ever been the same. But what is really interesting to me is that even when God gives the Israelites what they want, there are some that are still discontent with Saul being appointed as king and they stubbornly refuse him. They still aren't happy. Why? They got a king just like they wanted...it still isn't good enough. My question is what will be? What would be enough for them? And what will be enough for us? We do the same thing so often. I see the same desire in myself and I have seen it in my friends and the world around me. What will ever satisfy us? Of course the answer is the Lord, but we won't rest in that. We continue to look for materialistic items, people, feelings or experiences to fill the gap inside us. And it never stays lodged in the hole for very long. Sure, we are happy for .2 nano seconds and then the longing returns. It affects our relationships, with the Lord and others, because we put expectations on people to save us from our sinking and they disappoint without fail. Then we are back to longing with a deeper sense of urgency.
I long for the time when we will all relax, rest in the satisfying love of Father, Son and Spirit. When peace will characterize each of us. And I hope that we can experience at least a taste of that this side of heaven. And I think we can. God graciously reminds me that He satisfies when I forget. There are times when He is so present that all anxiousness falls away. Sometimes, the animosity and hurt in my life overwhelms me to where all there is Him. That is when I feel His comfort and peace. Maybe we should all come to terms with the fact that we are sinners. We will sin against one another and being honest about the depravity of humanity, of ourselves, will bring us to place that we have to trust the Lord.
I think is both ironic and tragic that we look so hard for stability, when everything changes. Everyone disappoints. Life innately goes up and down without notice. It is the very nature of the world. But we seek stability in jobs, friends, spouses, etc, etc. And nothing provides it, except the Lord. Yet we still seek something else. We are just like the disgruntled Israelites stubbornly pouting Saul's appointment. They asked for God's second best for them, and that is what they got. It is only in turning our lives over to Him, trusting and passionately submitting our lives to Him that we will get what we want.