Stop wishing for what you can do yourself
“I would give my life to be able to play the violin as you do.” “I did.” There are several versions of this story, each closed with some kind of “I did,” “no, you don’t, because you don’t know what it cost me,” or “no, you don’t, because you aren’t willing to make the sacrifices necessary.” We tend to mirror these sentiments for most of life: “if only I were as fit as he is,” “if only I had the career that she has,” “if only I had the fame/money/talents/time.” But how often do we, as Christians, say the same thing about our walk with God? “I wish I could understand the Bible the way he does.” “I wish I had a prayer life as she has.” To what, to where do we look for the answers to these questions? Today seems fraught with the desire to blame others for everything wrong, but that has always been the case. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve both blamed someone else for why they ate of the forbidden fruit. Moses blamed Israel, Israel blamed the giants, Saul blamed David, J...