“Full life consists of both peace and pain. It’s hard to have one without the other. We don’t crave peace until we feel pain. We don’t know how to define pain unless we have peace. They are in extreme opposition, yet they happen to coexist in this place that we call life here on earth.”- Meredith McDaniel
“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright. We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly, just as he knows us!”- 1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)
Section 9 (“Dwelling Place: I am with you”) of In Want + Plenty consists of Chapters 17 and 18. In Chapter 17, Meredith McDaniel lists questions we ask ourselves every day of our journey. Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, we wonder:
- Why did I start out on this journey anyway?
- Are we ever really going to make it to the promised land?
- Is God really with us right now?
As a result, when we feel trapped or stuck in the in-between, we long for a more settled, balanced, and secure life. Yet, Meredith notes, sometimes in life we must enter the fog in the hope we’ll find home on the other side.
In Exodus 25, God gave Moses detailed instructions on building the Tabernacle. And like the Tabernacle, God created us with a specific design and purpose in mind. Hence, writing in A Million Little Ways, Emily P. Freeman states:
“I don’t believe there is one great thing I was made to do in this world. I believe there is one great God I was made to glorify. And there will be many ways, even a million little ways, I will declare his glory with my life.”
Therefore, as God’s living tabernacles who roam the earth every day, God has a plan for us.
Today’s question: Do you agree with Meredith that the full life consists of both peace and pain? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Living fully in a land of longing”
