Looking for Something Better

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

They needed something else…something better…and quickly. 

One year had passed since my daughter, our son-in-law, and their two (and now three) children had moved twelve hours away to Searcy, Arkansas. Another company had bought out our son-in-law’s employer, and our son-in-law had signed a two-year contract to keep from losing his job. A part of the deal entailed the real possibility of being transferred to Arkansas. And he was. 

Not knowing whether they would stay in Arkansas after two years, they decided to rent instead of buy. But after one year, the landlord hiked their rent by several hundred dollars per month. The rent was already steep, and they didn’t plan to pay any more. 

With a lease about to expire, they set out to find a house. Within a brief time, they had secured one and signed the loan papers. They were homeowners with a house in better shape than the one they had rented and something they could one day call their own—and something with equity if they decided to sell one day and move back to their hometown (which we hope for). 

Although their new home was in good shape and in a good neighborhood, they wanted to put their personal touches on a few things. The sitting room had a popcorn ceiling. Some of the popcorn had fallen off, so they decided to remove it all. They followed that by painting the entire room. Then, they decided to pull up the carpet on the grandboys’ side of the house and replace it with laminate flooring. 

I’m not sure what they’ll do next, but I imagine they (or my daughter) will think of something to make the house better than it is. 

Paul considered himself an adopted child of God…and he was and had been since he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. He wasn’t perfect, but he knew one day he would attain perfection in his attitude, words, and actions. He longed for something better…a better day. 

“We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23 NLT).

We often long for better things: more play toys, a new relationship, a better job, a nicer home, a different vehicle, an altered body, a different diet, a better life, a higher income. Our world offers an endless list. And nothing is wrong with many of the better things we want. Neither is anything wrong with wanting to better ourselves. Unless…

When the things we think will better us steal our focus and time from God, then they are worse, not better. The better time Paul longed for would bring him closer to the Lord, not take him farther away. 

Our definition of better often differs from God’s. If the thing we consider “better” draws us closer to Him, molds us more in His image, and is something we can use to further His kingdom's work, then it’s better. Otherwise, it may only become a distraction. 

The “better” in life is anything that helps us fulfill God’s plan for our lives. Let’s make sure our definition of “better” is the same as God’s?

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Looking for Something Better, encouragement from Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions, Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, and Proof Editor for Courier Publishing. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Busy World, released in December 2019. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor.