Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. Jesus
Discover your soul and heart’s desire. Sometimes a good life keeps us from a better life, many of the things we crave in life will never satisfy our soul. In fact, many good things have the power to destroy us like pain medications and even food which can take control of our lives. There is nothing in the world that will make us happy and provide us with lasting satisfaction.
We will never accumulate enough power, money, possessions, or fame to quench the desire for something more than we have right now.
Many people are like a gambler with one more throw of the dice that the right person, the right job, or the right house will finally satisfy them even though a thousand other tries have already failed. The grim reality is many never discover there is nothing outside of themselves that will ever give lasting satisfaction or pleasure. Contentment and happiness are an inside job when it comes to finding lasting comfort and peace.
There is a longing in our soul for something that will give us lasting meaning and purpose in life. Somehow we must learn to stop pursuing the things of the world and seek the presence of God. One description of our condition is we have a divine homesickness a divine discontentment with everything until we return home to God. St. Augustine summarizes the return home best when he says; our hearts are restless till we find our rest in thee.
When we return home to God, we find rest in his presence. Not only do we rest in God we elevate our life to a higher level of spiritual living. As we let go of the desires of the world, we find that there’s a new life waiting for us to enjoy and experience.
The more we understand the strongholds of the physical attachments and hopes that never fulfill us we discover something unique in the presence of God. There is a hymn which says it is joy unspeakable and full of glory and the more we seek the glory of God the less we seek the temporary things to try and satisfy us. Instead, we discover the source of life and now are motivated to please the risen Christ.
In Christian thought, we are taught to pursue holiness defined as letting our life be set apart for God. When our hearts let go of everything but God, we find ourselves doing what God wants us to do instead of what we want to do. When we become God-conscious, we recognize our egocentric desires and pleasures rob us of what is best for us in life. We come to appreciate that our appetites for the things of the world create our suffering and pain and they lead us into separation from God and everyone else. Seeking the desires of the flesh our egos leave us broken but seeking the higher calling to love God and treat our fellow man as we would like to be treated, we find a spiritual reality for our existence and a definite reason for living.
The seeker, the contemplative, the Christian believer finds the pearl of great price which is the presence of God, and there is nothing in the world that compares to possessing God and God possessing us. The people of the world think it is a sacrifice to serve God but to the one who experiences the presence of God, there is no sacrifice. The apostle Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 4:11 this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. It was because of the love of God Paul goes the extra mile to share the gospel He was motivated by love not sacrifice.
The pleasures of the world wane and we grow restless in those pleasures that never satisfy. We give up those pleasures to enjoy the fullness of God. Jesus said to seek the kingdom of God first and all these things we need to sustain life will be ours. We do not need to give up all the pleasures in the world. All we need to do is put our desires in proper perspective, so we are freed from the attraction of the world to enjoy God and everything around us.
Reflection:
What truly matters to you?
What are the most critical aspects of your life?
What do you need to spend less time doing to be God-conscious?
Image via Pixaby Julius Silver
