Building and Planting...

I'm slowly making my way through Jeremiah (slowly as in I started about 3 weeks ago, made it to Chapter 5 and then started over again this morning...) and I've realized again how easy I have it. Jeremiah (and Isaiah and I would venture to say Ezekiel, too, though I haven't read that yet), got a front row seat to the destruction that his people were facing. God told him what was going down so he could tell the people and the people didn't listen to him, really.

One part that struck me today was Jeremiah 1:10--

"See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant..."

I think that it is interesting that the first four things that Jeremiah/God will do is uproot, tear down, destroy and overthrow...but then the last two are build and plant. Build being the opposite of tear down, destroy and overthrow while plant is the opposite of uproot. I was talking to a friend earlier this week about God, and some of our struggles with Him at the moment. I made the comment (that I hope is true...) that I don't think God has to do something bad before He does something good. She replied that she isn't so sure...

And to be honest, lately I haven't been so sure either. I'm having a really hard time praising God from the basement of my house in Mebane, unable to become active in this small town because, really, I'm waiting to leave. I find it hard to see a purpose in this, and wonder where God's will can possibly be in the confusion I feel and the frustration that keeps welling up in side me only to burst forth in tears and begin to well up again. I wonder why other people get the good that God promises and wonder why I am stuck here, when all I want to do is live in an area that is below my means and, with God's help, help the poor and marginalized. God, isn't that what You want from all of Your children?! Then why are you denying it to me?...

But I forget that the ultimate good is a relationship with God. And that if there is destruction and overthrowing being done in my life that it is probably so that ultimately God can build and plant something better. And even though I don't want to...eventually I will begin to praise God again...