Are you satisfied?
Last Sunday, Michael Ramsden led the preaching before he left for UK. His message really hit home. At one point, I was sheepishly laughing internally, saying, "God, you really talk to your children, huh? LOUD AND CLEAR." It was like hearing a sermon I needed to hear from a father. Loving, but stern; Compassionate, but authoritative—the perfect balance of Truth and Love.
He talked about satisfaction. He probes, "Why is it that when people's physical wealth go up, their internal wealth go down? The wealthiest cities have the saddest people. Why is it that we love turning to distractions (may it be entertainment, social media, vices, pleasure), and when these distractions are taken away, ugly things are revealed? (NOT VERBATIM)"
So, having asked this, where is true satisfaction found? The bible doesn't question our desire for true happiness and fulfilment. These are innate human qualities. We want to be filled in our lives; that's a good thing. But the ultimate problem lies on the means we try to find the satisfaction, the contentment, the sense of pleasure.
In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus warns us about selfishness. He tells us that a man who stores things for himself isn't rich in the eyes of God. It also shows the never-ending, insatiable and unappeasable appetite of man to keep acquiring wealth (may it be material things, stature, or pleasure). Ramsden calls it the "hedonistic treadmill." It makes us tired and moving, but it never stops; it never gets us anywhere eternally, much like a hamster wheel.
Truth is, only Jesus satisfies. Cliché, I know. I believe there is a God-shaped void in our hearts that only He could fill. It's like one of those plastic cube toys with cut-out shaped holes all over it. No matter how much we try to jam the square piece into the star hole, it won't work. It just won't fit. We can go at it all we want, be frustrated why the cube is still hollow and isn't filling up, but as long as we do not acknowledge that it's a mismatch, it simply won't fall through.
However, the satisfaction we search in Jesus can be a tricky thing, too. One degree away from the right motive and we could be deceiving ourselves.
I am a passionate Christian feminist. So when women are objectified, I stand and let my voice be heard. I hate it. I despise it. For people to treat and view women as a piece of meat and dominated over as objects to be acted upon disgust me terribly. But when I was reading Comfortable Christianity, (my new fave book by Caleb Seifu) a while ago, it hit me hard.
I OBJECTIFY GOD.
I do this when I treat Him like a genie—when I turn to Him for what He can do for me or give me, instead of what I can do for Him and aligning my will with His. I objectify Him when I see him as cash cow who is a dispenser of material wealth for me. I won't deny it, I often associate financial stability with God's goodness. But Jesus says in verse 15, "Be careful and on guard of all kinds of greed. People do not get life from the many things they own." I'm not saying that God wants us to live in lack or poverty, He is a generous Provider and He wants us to live in abundance, but sometimes, His definitions differ from ours.
I want to love God for WHO HE IS. Not what He can do for me. I want to worship Him in all His divine glory and character. I want to chase the Giver, not the gifts.
As I try to be a better steward of God's blessings in my life, I acknowledge that everything I have isn't mine. These things are merely entrusted to me. My satisfaction isn't found on what surrounds me, but on Who is living in me.
I know I still have a lot of surrendering to do in terms of my attachment to the wrong sources of satisfaction, but by God's Grace, I know I can be faithful to the One who truly satisfies. I know His hands has unlocked the gates of the hamster wheel; He cupped me in His palms and set me free. I no longer have to keep running. There is rest in Him. I no longer have to quench my thirst with salt water that only makes me more parched. I can drink the pure water that Jesus' offers so I can actually be filled and relieved.
He can and will meet my needs, I need to cling on to the Absolute Truth that He alone is more than enough.
What I wore to church:
Dorothy Perkins polo
Banana Republic blazer
F21 jeans
Hue Manila shoes
Givenchy bag
Pearl earrings
Charriol bracelet
Rolex watch
F21 rings
Soft matte liquid lipstick is NYX in Cannes
My prayer for you is that you allow Jesus' Love to permeate your life so deeply that everything else will become white noise. I pray that you stop digging from the dry well and realize that time is wasted when we keep looking for good things in the wrong places.
Be truly satisfied,
—D
Tags:
beauty&fashion
soul
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