Fulfilled

Fulfillment is an interesting concept. We often look for it in places we are unlikely to find it and then act surprised when we are left feeling empty. It can actually create a self-perpetuating cycle wherein we seek affirmation in areas that don't deliver and then we increase our efforts in the same area hoping more energy will bring what we want. It's a trap that has us searching for validation in other people, our reputation, career, family achievements, and even financial stability. While none of these things are necessarily awful on their own merit they won't provide the contentment we desire. It only becomes a series of mile markers along a journey where we never reach the destination we hope for.

The task in front of us isn't necessarily easy. We need to take the desires of our heart--the things we chase after--and surrender them to God. Our willingness to seek Him through all of these other areas will fulfill us in the ways we've been hoping for through our other pursuits.

Getting Hungry

Tonight we have people who came to the church to have a meal before our programming. Unfortunately, our fryer isn't working properly so our kids' meal has been changed. Instead of offering fried chicken fingers & french fries they will have chicken and macaroni & cheese. I'm certain that some people will be disappointed since they came expecting one thing and were served another. Some may even say, "I'm hungry, but I'm not hungry for that."

Obviously food is on a unique level as I've been known to eat anything to effectively curb my hunger. I think it's a different matter when we are talking about spiritual fulfillment however. We are created with a longing for something that is real and eternal. When we attempt to fulfill that feeling with anything less than what God offers, it doesn't take care of the need for long. Sadly, I don't know that people always recognize the lack of fulfillment. We'll keep attempting to satisfy our hunger and never come to the realization that we aren't hungry for anything but truth. 

Think of how much disappointment we could avoid if we could identify what we are really seeking and ignore the things that won't bring lasting satisfaction.

Stuffed

It's hard to push away from the table when the food is particularly good. There is an enjoyment to the taste of a freshly grilled hamburger and all the fixings that go with it. Our normal reaction can be to eat past the point of easing hunger and on to ridiculously full. We will keep going back until there is no possible way to fit anything else into our stomachs.

The same principle applies to us spiritually. If we continue to stuff ourselves with our own agenda, selfish ambitions, and self-gratification, we leave no room for God. God can't fill a person that is filled with themselves.

What Do You Want?

In Numbers 11, I read where the Israelites were unhappy with the manna that God was providing each day. They started to complain and ask Moses to beg God to give them something else. Their rejection of manna as their sustenance was a sign of their disobedience to God and their dissatisfaction with His plan.

I see where the same thing happens to us. We pray and ask God for solutions to dilemmas in our life and then we are unhappy with the answers that He provides. We beg Him to make our job situation better and when that job ends unexpectedly we start to doubt His plan. We find ourselves praying earnestly for healing from cancer and when He chooses to end that person's life here on earth we are filled with disappointment and anger. We plead with God to change people's hearts and find that He wants to change us first.

God's answer to our prayers isn't necessarily going to be what we expect. In fact, from personal experience I can tell you that it most often is not. The question that we have to ask ourselves then is whether we are praying for God to work in our lives through His incredible grace and omniscience or whether we just want Him to give us what we want. Our answer to that question reveals whether we are engaging in a maturing, faithful relationship with a God who provides or if we are seeking a magic genie who will grant us wishes to satisfy short-sighted visions of need.