Multi-tasking

I’m sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, multi-tasking:

Task one: watching Bleak House on the big screen, an excellent BBC production of Charles Dicken’s novel of the same name;

Task two: thinking about the topic of ‘desire.’ Ames and Apes are waiting patiently for my overdue assignment;

Task three: listening to Haley blow her nose repeatedly and clear her throat of phlegm.

“Perhaps what we want for ourselves and what is best for us, is not the same thing.”

Wait a minute. What did she just say?

“Perhaps what we want for ourselves and what is best for us, is not the same thing.”

Why thank you, Esther. Or I guess I should thank Charles Dickens, since he put the words in your mouth and now you are putting the words in my mouth and I’m am putting them out on this page. You spoke them so wisely and eloquently from the big screen, at just the right time.

“Perhaps what we want for ourselves and what is best for us, is not the same thing.”

Task four: taking Charles Dickens’ quote (which was referring to a couple who desired to be engaged, who desired to be together, but were too young) and rewriting it in my worldview (when Christ is supposed to be Lord, but I desire to be.)

Our desire might be defined as “what we want for ourselves.”

“What is best for us” might be defined as God’s desire.

Therefore, “perhaps our desire and God’s desire, is not the same thing.”

When what I want and what God wants clash, my life truly sucks. I speak from experience. Sometimes getting my desire lined up with God's desire again is a long, complicated process. But eventually, I repent. It seems the older I get, the quicker I repent. Saves myself a lot of grief. Saves myself a lot of pain. Saves myself a lot of trouble. As we used to say in youth group back in the day, "your arms are too short to box with God."

Task five: hoping this little theological treatise helps my nieces in their journey of desire. I love them both and desire what is best for them.