Blah? Blah. Blah!
Blah? – How do you describe what you’re feeling? “Blah.” - is the only word that seems to surface in response to your attempt to verbalize it.
Sure the dictionary defines Blah as “a feeling of boredom, lethargy or general dissatisfaction,” but I think it’s a word we grab in our poor attempt to describe a feeling we have at times inside us that we lack true meaningful words for. Ok, yes, it may stem from the initial idea of boredom, lethargy or dissatisfaction but it goes beyond that because we know that there is a longing inside of us that is causing these emotions to be stirred.
It’s like something in our life has settled and it needs to be reawakened. We’re desiring a little excitement and disturbance from our routine. For me it’s a hunger for more – but for more of what?
That’s what I can’t put my finger on. I know it is gnawing away at me and I know it must be satisfied like a hunger when your stomach is growling and you know the only way to get it to stop is to send some food it’s way but you’re not quite sure what you’re hungry for. Is it sweet, is it salty, is it gooey or crunchy or could it be a combination of all of the above?
You reach for something but as soon as it lands upon your tongue, you instantly know that this choice wasn’t right because the need isn’t satisfied and there’s no immediate sensation that there will be a long-term deliverance from your craving. You try something else and it too lands flat upon your palate. “What is it that I’m craving?” you ask yourself. The question hangs in midair, taunting you with no answer to sooth you back in to your comfort zone. So your search continues.
This feeling I believe is what God uses for us to seek more of Him. It’s through this feeling that He helps us find our way to His will in our lives. Think about it, just like in our food example, it’s the hunger that prompts us to try different things and as we do, we quickly assess if we are on the right track or not. Once we find that certain thing that eases our longing, we recognize it and express it as such when we exclaim with joy – “Now that just what I needed!”
The strange thing is we couldn’t tell you upfront what that thing was which would satisfy the craving until we tried out several things and through our involvement in the process we then discovered it. We also discovered several things along the way, like we learned what didn’t work for us, we learned to exercise some discernment and we learned about perseverance, hope and determination through it all.
Now of course in our little analogy of hunger there is the danger that as we go through the process, we may settle and force ourselves to eat the bag of chips even though it’s not the perfect match for what we’re craving. Yep, it satisfies the hunger, but we know that the real need wasn’t really met. We opt out of self-discovery and resist the urge for something more. The problem I find, whenever I follow that approach, is that the feeling returns fairly quickly because that’s the way it is with blah-ness. It has to be addressed and addressed properly.
God allows this feeling to return to us because He isn’t interested in us just settling for less than what we can truly be. He is compassionate and passionate for and about us that He strives to help us to seek out more of Him. Now, God doesn’t force Himself upon us and He doesn’t always give us clearly define answers to that longing within because it’s more important that we discover it for ourselves and therefore have buy-in to the process and the end results.
If God simply force fed us, let’s say peas (you could substitute any other food analogy here) all the time, how would we ever come to the point that we could say - I love peas! We’d take peas for granted and not appreciate them for what they are. But through the process of this self-discovery, when we find out it’s peas that has satisfied our longing, then we are inclined to look a peas differently and we come back to peas again and again on our own with our love and appreciation for them growing each time because of the satisfaction they provide.
This is why I hope that your longing in life – your blahs if you will – will prompt you to look into God’s direction and discover the many aspects He offers us in satisfaction of our needs, physically, emotionally, spiritually and countless others. The Bible gives us glimpses that God is a creator, healer, provider, deliverer, counselor, restorer and so much more, that our every longing can be met in Him. He is allowing our blahs to motivate us into searching Him out in every area of our lives. This is the reason the Bible says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8 – NIV)
So, don’t be upset when feeling blah – take it as a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and your relationship with God, since He’s trying to convey to you another aspect of who He is and what He’s capable of in your situation. Learn to see it as an exciting adventure the next time you feel Blah!
God Bless - Rick
