Spiritual Cancers: The Danger of Dissatisfaction

Have you noticed it’s often hard to not complain? If the weather is cold or rainy, we wish it was sunny. We have clothes, but nothing matches, and we want new ones. Somehow, we always find a reason to be dissatisfied.

This feeling of dissatisfaction reminds me of a woman in the Bible—Rachel. Jacob worked seven long years to be allowed to marry her, only to be deceived and given her older sister, Leah, in marriage instead. But Laban agreed to also let Jacob marry Rachel for another seven years’ labor.

We know that what resulted was a life of contention, envy, and dissatisfaction. Leah was envious of the love Jacob felt towards Rachel. Rachel was envious of the children Leah had and she could not bear. And both were dissatisfied. Rachel took matters into her own hands. She offered her handmaid to Jacob, so she could obtain children through her. Even then, she remained constantly dissatisfied.

When Rachel realized that she could bear Jacob no children, Rachel became jealous of her sister and said to Jacob, “Give me children! If you don’t, I may as well be dead.

Genesis 30:1

Without realizing it, we may often be similar to Rachel, constantly looking out for our own satisfaction, wanting more and more until we end up running away (or ahead) of God’s plans. Of course, not being able to offer a son to the man who loved her was disappointing. But what about the promise that God gave them? Our Heavenly Father has made it clear that He has a plan for each of us and that He will keep His promises. But we become dissatisfied and want to take matters into our own hands in our own time.

The world is full of dissatisfied spirits who overlook the happiness and blessings within their reach and are continually seeking for happiness and satisfaction that they do not realize. They are constantly on the stretch for some expected, far-off good greater than they possess and are ever in a state of disappointment. They cherish unbelief and ingratitude in that they overlook the blessings right in their pathway. The common, everyday blessings of life are unwelcome to them, as was the manna to the children of Israel.

Mind, character and personality, vol. 2, p. 642.

We have everything, simply because we belong to a loving God. So, why are we constantly desiring more than what God has told us is enough?

In conclusion, I want to emphasize the most important lesson from Rachel’s experience. Despite her impatience and dissatisfaction, the Bible tells us:

And God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb.

Genesis 30:22

Rachel was finally able to give Jacob the sons they yearned for. God is always willing to give us the best, to hear us, even when we are dissatisfied with nearly everything. He shows His immense love and keeps His promises. May you and I remember Rachel’s story whenever dissatisfaction overtakes us, and may we remember that we have a Father who loves and will work the best in our lives if we only wait on Him.