The Tyranny of Desire

If you are a parent, or for that matter, if you have ever been to a Walmart store on a Saturday afternoon, you have witnessed the tantrum that emerges after a child doesn’t get his own way.  It’s pretty ugly.  It’s annoying to everyone in proximity, and it brings out the worst in most of the parents I know.  Well, there’s only one thing worse than a child throwing a fit when he doesn’t get her own way, and that’s an adult doing the same thing.  I found a passage of scripture which addresses the same issue.

1 Peter 4, verses 1-2, says “Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him.  Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way.  Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.”

The point here is that God’s decision not to purge from our lives all of the difficulties we go through actually brings about maturity in us.  We would be much like a spoiled child if we got everything we asked for and never had to face a difficulty.  Facing the trouble actually help us grow.  I’m reminded of a scene from one of the Chronicles of Narnia movies that have been released in the past few years.  Peter, a young king, finds himself in a fight with two wolves that are intent on killing him.  He calls for help, and Aslan (the Christ figure of the movie) comes to assist.  He puts one wolf to flight, but when one of his warriors moves in to kill the second wolf, Aslan tells him to hold off; this one is Peter’s.  Peter steps up to the plate and hits one out of the park, stepping into his destiny as a warrior king.

In our lives, the old sinful habit of thinking that we should always get what we want needs to be dethroned, allowing the new King Jesus to take his rightful place.  When we endure things we would rather not, we start the process of killing off that old sinful way of thinking that allow Christ access to transform us into who he wants us to be.  Doing so brings maturity and a better quality of life.  So whatever you are wresting with today, allow God to use it as the weight on the bar that you are lifting which will produce spiritual muscle and give you the physique of a fully developed friend of Jesus.  To listen to more encouraging insights, please visit my podcast page.