Purpose

Reaching

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Months ago, as I was trying to grab something out of the pantry, I suddenly heard a loud crash. On the ground, in tiny little pieces, laid the results of the glass jar that I had broken. So intently was I focused on what I was after that I neglected to see the jar that was in my path. As I reached for what I wanted, I hit it and sent it barreling to the ground. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men wouldn’t have been able to put it back together again.

I find that what happened in the pantry that day sometimes happens in life too. Focused on what I want, I neglect to see what God has placed right in front of me. I reach for my desires, not seeing the good thing that He has placed in my path. I strain for my goals, my priorities, and my “needs,” running the risk of shattering what He has given me to do. I’m reaching for what I want, instead of reaching for Him.

It’s a dangerous undertaking. The glass jar became unusable, and if I am focused on “me,” I run the risk of not being used for His purposes. If I am concerned with what is important to me, I’m not concerned with what is important to Him. If I’m reaching for something so as to establish my little kingdom, than I’m not busy about doing the work of building His.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t have ambitions – that we are ambivalent about the course of our lives. It does mean, however, that our ambition needs to display God’s glory. Our goals need to be His desires for us. We should be reaching for Him, time and time again, and our satisfaction should be found in grabbing hold of what He has given. 

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Being Content

The State of Satisfaction

We’re all probably familiar with the post-holiday meal stupor. Our tummies are filled, our hearts are light, and we relax into our favorite spot of the couch, content with what we’ve just consumed. It’s a good feeling; one that some people look forward to all year long.

We are also probably all used to what a friend laughingly referred to as the “hangries” – the state of emptiness that we feel when it’s been too long since our last meal. Our tummies are growling, our hearts are frustrated, and we anxiously try to satisfy our dearth of food.

The challenge for Christians is that too often we are content with keeping spiritual life in the second state. We know that we need to eat – to partake in the richness of God through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship – but instead of satisfying ourselves by feasting on what He has given us, we remain undernourished, anxious, and ill-fit to grow. God is offering His children a heart that is filled by Him, but instead we fill it with empty things, much like a child would fill their tummies with “empty calories” simply because of the momentary pleasure it might provide.

Knowing our need to fill our tummies, its no wonder that God often uses the analogy of food when talking about our relationship with Him. He calls Himself the “Bread of Life,” and doing His will “food.” Paul repeatedly writes about “spiritual milk” (see I Cor. 3:2, also I Peter 2:2). We need to know that the feeling of satisfaction we get from a good meal is greatly surpassed by the heart-filled satisfaction that comes from ingesting the Word of God and deepening our relationship with Him. He will satiate our deepest appetites. He will satisfy our heart’s grumbling.

Much like we look forward to the state of satisfaction that comes from a good meal, may we anticipate the heart-felt contentment that He offers daily to those who seek after Him.

How do you plan to find your satisfaction in God this coming year?

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