Divine Discontent and more to life. January 6th, 2024 (Epiphany)

The Mole had been working hard all morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders, steps and chairs, with a brush and pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his fur. Spring was moving in the air above and the earth below, penetrating his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said `Bother!' and `O blow!' and also `Hang spring-cleaning!' and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, `Up we go! Up we go!' till at last, pop! His snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

`This is fine!' he said to himself. `This is better than whitewashing!' (Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows)

 A spirit of divine discontent: Hang spring-cleaning! This is better than whitewashing!

The Spirit of discontent; have you ever felt ready for an adventure – to do something different – or thought that something more should be done? Hang spring cleaning!

As St Augustine put it, 1600 years ago: ‘Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You....... ‘

Is that what those wise men felt, as they looked at the stars, and set off on their long trek, in search of a Messiah? The spirit of divine discontent. What motivated them to travel, hundreds of miles across the desert? Were they bored, or did they have an inner longing for something better – for meaning, purpose, direction – like the mole, or like St Augustine.

A New Year has dawned. 2024. What is in store for us in the New Year?

The implications of faith are tremendous. More than just a set of beliefs – essential though those beliefs most certainly are - we are called to a way of life – with Christ at the centre. No longer are we simply scrabbling about finding jobs to be done – bother whitewashing - faith leads us to a deeper place – to more profound questions. The way to overcome that spirit of divine discontent, or the restlessness in our hearts, is to discover that ‘peace of God which passes all human understanding’.  Why am I here? How can I achieve my full potential? The answer is to put God at the centre. ‘Be filled with the Spirit’ says St. Paul. Stay close to God – that’s the way to get the best out of life.

The wise men followed the star, and it led them to worship Jesus – God – the Lord of all. What is our resolution for 2024? What are we being called to?

Epiphany is the season for making known. As we reflect upon the story of God making Himself known to those wise men, all those years ago, we know that we too are called to be wise – to receive Him into our lives. If we want to discover our calling for 2024, if we want to do something better than whitewashing, then the place to begin is the stable at Bethlehem. God has made Himself known to us; He calls us to respond to Him.

You are created with intelligence and emotions. You are created with moral values – a sense of right and wrong. You are created with gifts and abilities; you are made ‘in the image of God’. You are created to discover your God-given reason for being here.  Like the mole, sometimes don’t you just need to shout aloud, ‘Bother spring cleaning! There’s more to life than this.’

If we want to reach our God-given potential, perhaps we need a bit more divine discontent in our lives. What is God calling you to do this year?

Perhaps like the prophets of old we are called to be agents of change in the world. Can we have the divine discontent of Amos who said: Let justice roll down like a river, and righteousness like a never-failing stream (Amos 5:24); or Micah who said: And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8); or Daniel, who said: the people who know their God will stand firm and take action (Daniel 11:32).

Perhaps we need a bit more divine discontent in the world.

There must be more to life than this. There is! Whoever we are, whatever stage of life we are at, God is calling us. Worship him, welcome him, receive him, live for him!

We’re just into a New Year. Time to make a resolution. Be alert to the Holy Spirit. There’s one resolution that we’ll never regret.  

‘O come to my heart Lord Jesus. There is room in my heart for you.’

With that prayer, the adventure of 2024 begins.