Divine discontent. I’d heard the phrase used by others, but this morning during a long walk it applied both comprehensively and succinctly to yours truly.
I’m not satisfied and never have been. I yearn to taste more of life: deeper conversations, more dark chocolate, exotic wines, layers of subtleties and especially the production of more and more written products.
Like the Beatles sang, I’m constantly “fixing a hole where the rain gets in…”—and I’m not sure if I’m ever going to change. Maybe I don’t want to; such a shift could be a rejection of authenticity, a sell-out for the sake of gaining more acceptance.
So I’ve amended my religious descriptor to one that transcends typical labels. Divine discontent incorporates a person of any serious spiritual longings, who desires that truth prevail, justice win out, mercy flood the land, and meaningful dialogue take place. It is not placated by religious certainty, by theological closure or well-meaning platitudes. Yes, Christ is born in Bethlehem, but the Kingdom of God is far from fully manifest and until then I can’t get no satisfaction.
I suspect that many of you are divinely discontent as well, even if you won’t “go there” when letting thers into your thoughts and feelings.
Look around at this broken world, and there is little with which to find contentment. It is the unfinished of unfinished works, the scab that won’t solidify across the wound, the open window that will never fully shut.
Make no mistake about it: I laugh and I celebrate and I’m grateful for so much. But fully rest I will not, until every drop of the mystical waters that flow within have been poured out for the sake of just one more person being blessed with a fresh epiphany.
And I see a distinction between contentment and peace. One can be discontent with the state of things, while still enjoying the peace that passes understanding and carries the divine whisper, I’ve made you this way for a purpose. Don’t give up…
