I've Had It!

Some days, do you feel like you've just had it? Have life's fast pace and high pressure worn you down? Has your get-up-and-go gotten up and gone? Is your calendar overcrowded? At church, are you doing more but enjoying it less?

Do others get on your nerves? Do you need a break from whiny preschoolers or moody teens? Are you weary of traffic jams and rude motorists, pushy salespeople and cranky clients?

Are you tired of urgent deadlines, sensational headlines, and "political correctness" that somehow doesn't seem correct? Are you sick of high taxes and low morals, big demands and small commitment-levels?

If you're like me, you've had it with come-ons, put-downs, lockouts, foul-ups, and runarounds. You've had it with neighborhood vandals and Washington scandals. You've had it with wars and rumors of wars, gossips and rumors of gossips. You've had it with TV news filled with sin and spin, dramas that show too much skin, and unfunny comedies that don't make you grin.

Even when you serve God, it's tempting to grow weary in well-doing. Have you ever gotten to the place where you feel like your motivation is gone, your worship isn't satisfying, and your efforts don't make any difference? Have you had it with feeling unnoticed or unappreciated? Have you had it with sermons and church gatherings that seem toothless, truthless, graceless, and pointless? Has your "drive" shifted into "park"?

Sometimes I have days like that. Then a verse of Scripture comes to mind—1 Thessalonians 5:18, perhaps: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"—that challenges me to look at things from a different perspective.

Tasty, nourishing food? I've had it today. And clean running water, at whatever temperature I choose. A comfortable bed? I had that last night, in a house that keeps me safe and warm regardless of the weather.

Access to doctors, dentists, and hospitals when my loved ones and I have needed them? I've had it. The chance to get a decent education and learn about fascinating people, ideas, and places? I've had that too.

Even when problems tempt me to despair at worst or grumble at least, I can still list a litany of God's good gifts. Your list might not be the same as mine, but I'm sure you could identify some blessings of your own. A good marriage to a woman who loves me? I've had it. The chance to hold our babies in my arms and watch them grow up? I've had it. The opportunity to hear and accept God's plan of salvation? To live and breathe, and see and hear, and ponder and pray while filled with wonder? I've experienced these gifts and more.

Best of all, I've received far better treatment than I deserve from the one who matters most, my heavenly Father. Even on my worst days, I've had a God who loves me, a hope that sustains me, a Bible that guides me, the Holy Spirit who strengthens me, and a home in Heaven that awaits me.

Maybe I don't have it so bad after all.