OK. Just how easy was it
to answer that question? For me, it is terribly hard. When I think about what I
really want my mind is flooded with all manner and sort of things, the beautiful
and lovely, but also the dark and sinister. They all come rushing forth. I want
love and respect. I want recognition and honor. I desire a bit more time off
and a lot more money in the bank. I would really like to have a
big-honking-truck (BHT). Yes, I do crave to drive a planet-killing, car-crushing
hunk of steel. I want leisure and comfort. Every winter I wouldn’t mind a house
in the Bahamas. Some days I want revenge. Others days, I want justice. On my
worst, I might just want my enemies to spontaneously combust. Like I said, my
wants are beautiful and lovely, but also dark and sinister.
Often my wants overwhelm
me. Sometimes they drive me. No matter what they are or how I experience them,
they are always there, so many of them, crying out to be satisfied. As I seek
to feed them I learn that they are insatiable. The more I consume, the more I
want. There remains a deep yearning, a longing for something more, something
different. I wonder at times if perhaps I am not wanting the right thing, as if
I wanted something different, something wholly other, and I obtained it that I
might be satisfied.
Perhaps this deep
yearning, this insatiable wanting is what gives me pause when Jesus asks “What
do you want?” It seems to be a simple question, and yet if Jesus were to ask it
of me, what would I say? What do I want, really? Andrew and an unnamed disciple
had to answer that question almost two thousand years ago. There they stood
before Jesus with the opportunity to ask for anything. Wealth. Power. Prestige.
A big-honking-truck. They could have told Jesus they wanted anything, and yet
all they said was “You.” “We want to be with you.” Their response is stunning. Simple.
Resolute. They wanted Jesus. Here’s what is amazing. Jesus granted their
request, and in so doing their lives were forever changed. They met one who
knew them, one who met them where they were. He knew their character and
promised to change it. They met one who invited them to be part of a
life-changing relationship.
We can want many things
in life. We can even obtain them. However, there is only one thing we truly
need, only one thing that will ever really satisfy. There is only one thing
that will ever bring to us the life we want, and it isn’t a big-honking-truck.
His name is Jesus. He invites us to come to him to answer what we really want.
He longs time give us what we really need. Himself.
A fellow traveler,
Blake
Spiritual Formation Pastor
What's my next step?
I encourage you to consider doing the following as a way of handing off faith to
your family. . .
·
Sit with
God: Jesus invites us to come to him so that he may
give us himself. This month, consider adding a time of silence to your times of
family prayer as a way of accepting Jesus’ invitation. You might do this at
your times of offering thanks for meals. When you pause to pray, begin with a
few moments of silence in order to sit with Jesus. You might encourage your
family to simply sit for a moment and imagine they are sitting in the presence
of Jesus. One way to help younger children with this practice is by adding an
extra place-setting for Jesus at the dinner table. After sitting with Jesus for
a few moments, proceed with your prayer of thanks. As we sit with Jesus, we
learn that it is more important to be with him and offer our lives to him than
to rush to him and ask him to be part of our lives. We also open the door for
him to speak to us and teach us about the life he offers.
I would encourage you to consider taking the following next step on your faith journey.
. .
·
Practice
Surrender: Jesus invites us to come to him so that we
might experience a life-changing relationship with him. However, approaching
Jesus takes surrender, coming to him for a relationship and life that are on
his terms. The reality is that surrender is hard. It doesn’t come naturally. We
have to train ourselves to surrender to Christ. Often our ability to surrender
is rooted in believing that God is trustworthy. This month, consider offering
the following prayer to God. “Father, I know that you are good and loving. I surrender
to you.” Offer this prayer as you rise and as you lie down in the evening. Seek
to offer this prayer as you go about your day. You might say it as you move
between appointments or tasks throughout the day. You might consider journaling
about your experience, the feelings you have as well as how the attitude of
your heart changes. At the end of the month review your journal and offer
thanks to God for the way he has worked in your life.
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