Are You Grateful For Where God Has You?

Last week/weekend my sons were away for some leadership training in preparation for serving at a local Christian camp. Yesterday was the first day that they would be serving for most of the rest of the summer. My youngest son was exceptionally excited because this is his first year to be following his brother's footsteps and be helping at the camp. He was eagerly anticipating his first time in the cabin as a junior counselor.

I dropped him off in the early afternoon with some friends so he could get there in time for the staff meeting. My oldest son was arriving later because he had some doctor/orthodontist appointments to go to on the way to camp. As my oldest son and I pulled up at camp, my youngest son sought me out. He was disappointed and frustrated. He was to be serving in a cabin, but somehow it got changed and he was now going to be kitchen crew for the week. Needless to say he wasn't happy about it and was trying to see if he could get it changed.

As I drove away from the camp, I thought of the things that I should have told him. Things like, "No matter what job or situation we are put in, we still need to have a servant's heart." I pray that he will learn that this week and that his heart will be in the right place.

I thought of this as I was walking this morning. Am I always grateful for where God has me or do I sometime bulk, and complain about it? When I am disappointed that I am unable to do something I really desired, do I keep going over and over about it in my mind or do I say, "Lord, I don't understand, but help me to be grateful even though it hurts."

Often we are put in situations that we really don't want to be in. But I think God often puts us into areas we don't like to see what kind of character we are going to have. Are we going to allow Him to help us grow? Or are we going to fuss and complain the whole time and not learn a thing? Hebrews 12: 11 tells us, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." How are you doing in your difficult situation today? Are you fighting it or resting in God?