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This weekend was a special treat for me. My husband stayed home from work to take care of our three children for the day on Friday so that I could go to a women's retreat by myself! It was a good time of fellowship and the Lord used it to point out quite a few areas that need pruning. Of course pruning is never fun, but I know that it promotes growth toward God.

I was riding to the retreat with a friend when she told me about something that she had recently learned about Eve. Eve had everything that she could ever want...a beautiful place to live...an abundant variety of things to eat...Adam, fresh from the Maker's hand...unhindered fellowship with God...yet she was enticed by the temptation of Satan.

She wanted more.
More wisdom.
More knowledge.
More.

At the retreat, one of the sessions also talked about this. God gives us things that are pleasant and unpleasant. We often come to God with a laundry list of things that we want. We often don't get everything on the list in the way that we wanted them. How do we respond to that? I tend to become frustrated with what I haven't gotten, becoming demanding in a sense, or hardening my heart, so that I can't enjoy those things that I have recieved.

It is the same in marriage or any relationship. We can have a list of things that we want from our husbands, for instance. We want intimate conversation, his shoes always to be put away, recognition that I finally got the back closet cleaned out without hinting at it, recreation time as a family, yet get all the jobs done around the house, family devotions and couple devotions, consistency and unity in child training... The list goes on and on. I tend to want it all and when I don't get it, instead of being thankful for what my husband did do, I can become bitter, sullen and angry over what he did not.

I'm finding out that it's OK to bring those longings that were not fulfilled to the altar of lament. Pray about them. Yes, even grieve over them. Give it to God. Then they are dealt with so that we can recieve those longings that were fulfilled with joy and appreciation...bringing them to the altar of praise.

Longings in and of themselves are not bad, but we need to recieve fulfilled and unfulfilled longings in ways that will promote relationship with the Lord and with others.

Off to the altar...