July 11, 2013
Finding What You’ve Always Wanted
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of, (John 10:10msg).
Friend to Friend
Yard sales. I’ve never really liked them. But when we were preparing to move from the home we had lived in for 20 years, we decided it was a must. It was a way to clean out the clutter, make a little money, and not haul yesterday’s treasures to today’s trash.
We displayed our lovely attic decor on makeshift plywood tables and waited for the bargain babes to descend. We were not disappointed. Two hours before the advertised opening time, treasure hunters began congregating outside the closed garage doors. Then, upon the unveiling, the swarm attacked.
Among the valuables from my past sat an electric ceramic Christmas tree with various colored lights…no doubt a gift from the eighties. One particular woman perused the lovely display and came upon this “magnificent work of art.”
“I’ve always wanted one of these!” she declared with excitement in her voice. “How much is it?”
“Three dollars,” my husband answered.
“Humph,” she grunted and walked on.
Steve and I just looked at each other and stifled our laughter.
Let’s rewind the scene for a moment. This woman said she had always wanted a ceramic Christmas tree just like that one. (I’m not here to judge another person’s dreams. That’s just what she said.) Always. Her whole life. And here it was! For a mere three dollars, her dream could have come true! The search over! Most likely we would have sacrificed this masterpiece for two dollars, but she didn’t even ask. She just shrugged and walked away.
Then my mind began to wander through a rummage sale of its own. I thought about the Pharisees in the Bible. For years they waited for the coming of the promised Messiah. Prayed about it. Preached about it. Prepared for it. Then, when Jesus showed up, they turned their backs and walked away. “Humph,” they said with a shrug. “No thanks.”
How many times dowe long for a particular dream to come true in our lives? Long for it. Search for it. Obsess over it. A husband. A child. A job. A home. Then one day, there it is! It can be ours! The search is over! We say our “I do’s,” bring home the bundle of joy, log in our first eight hours, hang the last curtain. But then a little time passes. The husband is not as romantic as we had hoped, the kids are not as obedient and loving as we had imagined, the job isn’t as rewarding as we had envisioned, and the house is a never-ending maze of maintenance. “Humph,” we grumble. We think we want something, and then when we get it, we decide we really don’t want it after all.
Let me take it one step further. How many times do we long for love, joy, and peace in our lives? We search for it, long for it, and pray about it. Then someone points us to the cross and says, “There is it. It can be yours for the asking. It’s not three dollars, two dollars, or even one dollar. It’s free!”
“Humph,” we shrug. “No thanks.” And we walk away to rummage through the yard sales of life looking for treasure among other people’s clutter.
Dear friend, God is holding out His holy hand with the most magnificent gift of all time. Love, joy, and peace personified in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is what you have always been longing for, searching for, watching for. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Will we take Him up on the offer or say, “Humph. No thanks,” and walk away?
Chances are, you’ve already taken hold of Jesus’ hand at one time or another. So today, examine your heart and make sure you haven’t returned to the rummage sales of life to find fulfillment, but have continued to experience the abundant life that only Jesus can give. He IS what your heart has always wanted.
Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making all my dreams come true. You have given me everything I have ever longed for in the person of Jesus Christ. Please forgive me for turning my back on Your amazing gift and trying to fill my longings with people and possessions. I know that nothing will ever satisfy my desire for peace, love, and joy except Jesus. In His name I pray, amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What have you always wanted?
What has Jesus given you?
Why do you think believers continue to rummage around trying to find fulfillment rather than experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give?
Click over to my blog page and share your answer.
More from the Girlfriends
Do you long to feel close to God but sense there’s something missing? That you’ve missed that mysterious formula to make it happen? Do have a glory ache – a persistent longing to experience God’s presence and working in your life, but not quite sure how to make it happen? If so, my new book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response for Something More, is just for you. Join me in discovering how erase the lines between the secular and the sacred and experience a deeper more intimate relationship with God than ever before. While you’re there, you can download a free chapter or watch a video book trailer.
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Girlfriends in God
Matthews, NC 28106
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