This devotion from John Eldridge – Restoration Year, causes me to ask the question: Why do I reach for the thing I don’t have, taking for granted all that I have been given?
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. (Phil 4:19-20 Msg)
As I was praying about my disappointments, something lingered beneath the surface. I was coming to believe that God’s love and God’s life are not enough—a very subtle and deadly shift that opens the door to despair and a host of other enemies. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve were seduced into believing-that God was not enough? He had given them so much, but all they could see was the one thing they didn’t have. So they reached for it.
What was so compelling that Adam and Eve could turn from the living God to reach for the one missing thing? I think I’m beginning to understand. You start out longing for something, and the more you come to believe it’s what you need to be happy, the more you obsess about it. The prize swells far beyond its meaning and takes on mythic proportions. You’re certain life will come together once you achieve it. You think, If only I was married. If only I was rich. If only I had ______ (fill in the blank). Everything else pales in comparison. Even God.
Friend, I’m not minimizing the sorrow of your disappoint-ments. The ache is real. But the ache can swell beyond its nature. The only thing you truly need is God and the life he gives you.
Jesus, I break the agreement that I need ______ I give that place in my heart back to you. Jesus, come. Fill me with your love and your life.
Recent Comments