Lest it should be possible that any unchildlike soul might, in arrogance and ignorance, think to stand upon his rights against God, and demand of Him this or that after the will of the flesh, I will lay before such a possible one some of the things to which he has a right...He has a claim to be compelled to repent; to be hedged in on every side: to have one after another of the strong sharp-toothed sheep dogs of the Great Shephard sent after him, to thwart him in any desire, foil him in any plan, frustrate him of any hope, until he come to see at length that nothing will ease his pain, nothing make life a thing worth having, but the presence of the living God within him.
- George MacDonald
Every last distraction I chase down to avoid the obvious, the presence of the living God within me and thus the doing of His will above my own, will only lead to futility. Frustration lies at the end of all roads but one. I find pleasure in many things. I find pain relief in fewer things. In my search for pleasure, for happiness, for relief from the pains of life, I find only despair and disappointment when they are not leading to Him. He is ultimate fulfillment. Things in this life will fizzle out. The glitz and excitement of the greatest experiences and possessions of this world have one thing in common with this world that I don't: they are transitory. My soul was made for eternity. My fallen condition leads me to things that will fade away and die, no matter how much I love them. He is my only hope. He is the eternal answer to my eternal craving. Bring on the sharp-toothed sheep dogs: I will wander away and die without them to remind me of the only Way home.
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