Never Satisfied and Never Enough.

There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’ (Proverbs 30:15b-16)  

We’ve all had those friends who never seem to be satisfied. You know, the ones who, when we were younger, couldn’t wait till they could drive. Then, once they had their driver’s license, they couldn’t wait to go to college. Then, once they were in college, they couldn’t wait till they were married. Then, once they were married, they couldn’t wait till they had children.  

Before you know it, the only event a person can't wait for here on earth is their funeral.  

What I just described is a never ending cycle that prohibits oneself from enjoying, appreciating and being thankful for what has already been and is currently.  

(And here, for me at least, is where it gets personal.)  

Interestingly, I’ve found that the same struggle can exist within a church, especially for a pastor. Here are a few examples…  

Never satisfied with how many people were in attendance last Sunday. (There were too many people on vacation and no one brought a guest.)  

Never satisfied with how many people made a life changing decision. (Such and such really needed to respond but they didn’t.)  

Never satisfied with the worship set. (The transitions could have gone much smoother.)  

Never satisfied with the lesson. (I forgot that one illustration which would have driven the main point home. It may have even made people tear up.)  

Never satisfied with…  

Never satisfied…  

Never…  

In the midst of my dissatisfaction and enough not being enough…  

I missed out on the relationships of those who were at the Worship Gathering.  

I missed out on seeing the faithful hand of God shape and mold people into the image of His Son.  

I missed out on truly worshiping with other believers.
 
I missed out on being able to see the Holy Spirit move in the lives of people.  

So, maybe it is time to stop and remember what God has already done in and through Encounter Church. Maybe it is time to celebrate where we are at this very moment.
 
This doesn’t mean that we stop being about our mission, planning for the future or dreaming. You can't stop being faithful to God's call.  

Yet, we must never allow the dreams of what will be to overshadow and take away from what already has been and is!
 
Let's celebrate and appreciate who we are as Encounter Church at this very stage of our journey and, in doing so, God will receive all the glory. ~MB