When work is maddening and I am angry at the world…
When I longingly look out on a gorgeous day from inside an office icebox…
When I rush yet again from one thing to the next, feeling frazzled and exhausted…
When I grumble that I have a job that I don’t feel passionate about…
This quote from Elisabeth Elliot’s book, Keep a Quiet Heart, helps me remember that God has lovingly handpicked the circumstances of my life:
“When there is a deep restlessness for which we find no explanation, it may be due to the greed of being – what our loving Father never meant us to be. Peace lies in the trusting acceptance of His design, His gifts, His appointment of place, position, capacity. It was thus that the Son of Man came to earth – embracing all that the Father will Him to be, usurping nothing – no work, not even a word – that the Father had not given Him.”
So often I cause the loss of my own peace by rejecting the life God has given me.
“This isn’t what I want” is the refrain that echos through my ungrateful heart.
A verse that I have been repeating to myself over and over is “The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord.” It reminds me that joy does not come from getting my own way. It doesn’t come from my life looking exactly like I think it should. It doesn’t come from deciding my own destiny, forging my own will, or determining my own struggles.
Joy comes from accepting.
Accepting that I’m not in control. That not being in control is a good thing. That even though my current circumstances seem to plead the contrary, God only has good things planned for me.
But I can’t accept these things if I don’t have faith. Faith is believing that God will do what He has promised. Which turns my mind to another verse:
“I call out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.”
Even on these days when it feels like life sucks, and I don’t know why I’m doing what I’m doing, and I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, I cling to the truth that God is RIGHT NOW fulfilling His purpose for me. My life has meaning. I am here for a reason, even if I don’t know what it is. I only need to focus on delighting in the LORD and He will accomplish the rest.
“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”
Life, Really Blog 
Yes, yes, and yes! Such a good thing for me to read right now. (And I’ve already read this post twice.)