Neverending Gift
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100:5
It’s December 26th, and kids and adults alike are waking to enjoy the gifts they’ve received for Christmas. A funny thing will happen, though. In a few weeks, new desires will pop up, old gifts will lose their luster, and people will again go searching for the ‘next big thing’. Something more that will bring them joy. Something else that will ‘make them happy’. Toys will be relegated to the bottom of the toy box, video games will become ‘boring,’ or something new will become available and suddenly be much more desired.
Human beings are constantly searching for satisfaction, for the thing that will bring them happiness. Deep in our hearts, we search for meaning. ‘What is the point of all of this?’ The thing I’ve observed over and over again, is that most don’t want to hear the truth of the matter. Whether it’s hubris, and we feel like we’re created for ‘more than what we’re doing’ or just blatant rebellion toward God, most people don’t seem receptive of the truth of our existence: We were created to bring glory to God. Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Isaiah 43:7. Our hearts tend to rebel at that thought. Even the hearts of those that love God. This tiny little existence is all we understand, and to set aside the things that feel important to us feels like a sacrifice that is too big to make.
As I stood in my garden on that day in the summer of 2020, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Creator of the universe was calling to me to do just that. To make that sacrifice spoken of in Romans 12 an absolute reality in my life. I didn’t like the way it felt, I didn’t like the thought of turning the entirety of my existence over to Him. I liked my relationship with the Lord where it was: on Sundays and Wednesdays and in times of trouble and great joy. My salvation was secured, I understood that. But, to go ‘all in,’ to allow Him into every decision, every moment of my life, I wasn’t sure that I would like that.
I was SO WRONG! To move closer to an existence that is built around worshipping Him and bringing glory to Him, made me so incredibly happy. Happier than I’ve been in my entire life. There is joy in every day. I have discovered a new love for His Word. Although I’ve always enjoyed studying on occasion, now, I bend my schedule around my time with Him. I miss it if something interrupts it. This life, this incredible life that I’ve been gifted was almost missed because I was hanging on to a life that brought only worry and stress.
You see, He created us. He formed us. And inside each of us, whether or not we are willing to admit it, is that seed of creation that He placed in us. Our sinful nature fights against it, seeking to find joy in itself. But, if we ever allow Him into His rightful place in our lives, everything falls into place. We are at our happiest when we are living the lives for which we were designed. The word declares it over and over:
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10b
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11
I’m sure that by now, if the Holy Spirit lives in you, many verses are whispering their way into your heart. The word speaks of how God ‘knows the plans He has for us’ how He has ‘bought us with a price’ ‘We are His.’
I fully believe that He calls gently to each of us to come into a better and more complete relationship with Him, it’s our choice whether or not to listen to that still small voice in our heart. Today is a great day to be sensitive to His calling! He has a gift for us, one that will never grow old and never become obsolete. A relationship with Him that is strong and healthy is one that gives us far more than we can begin to understand. With every day, and every moment, we are able unwrap more and more of the mystery that is His love, and at the same time, we’ll never finish the task of learning about His amazing love.
The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3
