Lynn H. Blackburn

It’s resolution time.

Whether we make them or not, we are all thinking about them.

Because deep down, we know something is missing. We aren’t who we want to be. We aren’t living the life we want to live.

We don’t understand it, this need, this desire, we just know we long for more. 

But more what?

We know what it isn’t more of. It isn’t more food, more money, more sex, more stuff, more wine, or more leisure. 

Oh sure, we want some of that. We joke about what we’d do if we won the lottery. We like to imagine what it would be like to never worry about the price tag, the deadline, the calorie count, or the consequences.

We forget, because we are human and easily distracted, that we are immortal beings. Our bodies will die, but not our souls.

We were made for eternity. 

Made for communion with God. 

Made for so very much more.

We want the “more” and we look for it everywhere.

We eat one more piece of pie, because daggumit it tastes great so we don’t think about the headache, weight gain, or intestinal distress that we know is coming.

We go out with one more person who we know will ask for more that we should give and we don’t think about the way the euphoria of the moment will flee and leave us empty, again.

We take one more drink, buy one more outfit, make one more deal under the table because we are addicted to the rush, the thrill, the chase and the last time we got a hit of fulfillment was too long ago.

We keep trying to make ourselves happy.

We keep failing.

But the Creator of our soul, the One who created us with that hole we cannot fill, He told us where satisfaction can be found. 

The only place it can be found.

In Him.

So why do we turn our back on Him?

I can’t answer that for you, but I’ve been thinking about it, and for me, I think it’s because somehow, I’ve bought into the lie that all that other stuff is better than anything God can offer me. 

Or the lie that says that living a life sold out to Him requires too much sacrifice because I’ll have to give up too much of what I want.

I grow blind to how doing it my way is making me miserable. I can’t see that doing life His way, while not easy, leads to a satisfaction and contentment that nothing else offers. 

It’s just like with food (feel free to insert your own vice here). I know certain foods make me feel gross, but sometimes I eat them anyway. I get tired of being “good”, start feeling deprived and then all I can think about is what I’m missing out on. “Why can’t I eat that? Why can other people eat it when I can’t? What does it really matter if I have another donut/cookie/Coke/bagel/piece of fudge?”

I forget how good I feel when I exercise a little self-control. I ignore the fact that when I feast on good things, I don’t feel hungry or stuffed. I feel amazing.

The Bible tells us, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” In another passage it says, “Taste, and see that the LORD is good.” And in another, the Psalmist says, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” (Clearly the Almighty knew that at least some of us would relate to food 

analogies.)

What if we took Him at His Word? What if we believed that the One who CREATED US, longed for us enough to come to earth and BE WITH US, loved us enough to DIE FOR US, might actually be the key to SATISFYING US?

If you don’t know Jesus, and you’re afraid to get to know Him because you think He’s going to ask you to give up everything awesome, can I beg you to reconsider? To think about how He gave His life so that you could have abundant life? To look at that empty place and dare to imagine what it would be like to finally have it filled?

If you do know Jesus, but you’re afraid to give Him everything because you think He’s going to ask you to do something you don’t want to do, can I ask you to trust Him more? You’ve trusted Him with your eternal destiny. Can you not trust Him with your day-to-day? Can you dare to imagine how amazing you could feel when you wake up each morning—not knowing what the day will bring but knowing it will be an adventure worth taking?

What if we made our 2015 resolution this….just this….

To Trust Him More.

What would that look like?

Let’s find out!