I desire things in this life.
I want big superficial things like a gorgeous house 5 miles outside the city with so many rooms I can have company for days, money so I can travel whenever I want and take whomever I want with me. A ford raptor truck (love u kev), a camper.. No wait, a motorhome, a house in Hawaii.. Weekly pedicures, a robotic chef, maid and masseuse.
Realistically, I want a new kitchen, crown molding in every room, new hard wood flooring, a new washer and dryer, a new car and a pool.
Sooo Superficial. None of this matters.
But, I'm leading into something. Something gooood:-)
I also desire not so superficial things like more babies, freedom for ppl still living in slavery (the sex trade specifically), behaved children and homes for every orphan. Maybe you desire things like that, or maybe you desire love from another person, more loving spouse or freedom from past pain.
Those superficial things are not wrong in and of themselves, but our desire for these things and even the good desires uncovers something else. Something about every human being that has ever lived. A deep longing we all have,
For happiness
For security
For comfort
And I would also add, for LOVE
Because secretly we hope that maybe just maybe if we get everything we want or at least a few more things, we will have less problems and be happier than we are now, we will be more secure in our surrounding and more comfortable and maybe if we are with the right person or ppl we will find more or better love.
Humanity has also discovered something else, when we help others we are happier, like doing random acts of kindness or serving others before yourself, but neither are these cure-alls for lasting happiness.
When your life is full of desire, full of hope for something, perhaps a dream or a desire just waiting to become reality.... Superficial or not, What do we ultimately want above all else? In the end, what we're all striving for is peace; deep and everlasting peace.
Could I be so bold as to ask you to entertain the thought, if even for a moment, that there is only one who can ultimately give us that peace and that's Jesus, just Jesus.
Don't roll your eyes, just bear with me a little while...
Do you have peace - really? Can you say that your sins have been forgiven? Do you have that kind of peace? You can search the world over, and under and throughout but you will never be fully at rest or satisfied without knowing Jesus.
Jesus wasn't just a good man or a good teacher, he was and is God, YOUR creator. He was the picture of perfection and the author of love.
And he came to us, not as a mighty warrior but as a wee babe, as humble as they come. Not to save humanity from an oppressive government. But to save us from ourselves. For the wages of sin... all our bad ways equal our death and his immense love just couldn't let that happen. He came and took our place, died the death we should have died and freed us so we can live an eternity with him!
Did you hear that? He freed us from our constant striving and from guilt and sadness and offers us guilt-free living and ultimate peace!!!!
I want to see some smiles here, maybe even a few happy dances!
"And if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead you will be saved!"
When we put Jesus at the center of our lives, not to the side, not outside the door of our lives, not telling him how much room he gets in our lives, something happens...
Freedom and JOY!
Unending Joy.
And the more you walk with him, the more joy you have. It grows because you rooted yourself in God.. And the fruit comes from knowing and being known and loved by God, so it lasts, And lasts and lasts.. Until one day when we see him face to face.
Seriously take a minute to imagine standing before your creator, before your king, your father... In complete and utter awe... Father, we did it. Father, You led me so well... Thank you. I can hardly wait.
Joy displayed in us doesn't look like a happy dance every morning, (though maybe for some it does!) joy is a still quiet, steady confidence that no matter what hardship we face, no matter what valley we are trying to get out of, no matter how crazy our day is that joy is knowing who has us. In knowing the God of the universe loves us and is always good.
But what do we do with our desires in the meantime?
We abandon our grip on our desires and we sit before The Lord, maybe we fall before him, fall in desperation of wanting change. Of wanting to be in the right place with him.. A change of desires maybe, or patience to wait. We talk to Him.
We lay our desires at his feet and instead of asking for all these things, Bc he already knows our desires. We say, God work in me and take me where you want me. And u say this with a faith mindset. God, build my faith, my character in you and let's not worry about my physical life.... (Because faith is what lasts).
Help me let go of the short lived glamour of this world, help me Abandon everything before you and may you be the thing I crave most! Here you will find freedom, peace, joy love....
Life hasn't been at all what 16yr old Tara once imagined, but it's been full of joy. I am such a work in progress but I have learnt:
The healthy way to walk through hard deeply painful trials.
How to choose love over fear.
To trust that God loves me with a fierce love Just the same as all his other children.
And What freedom looks and feels like from living without strongholds.
And the list goes on.
All that because I rooted myself in Christ, not because I'm amazing, he did all that work.
God doesn't promise lasting comfort, security or happiness apart from him.
He promises the Joy that comes from the peace only Jesus can give. It is born from the freedom we feel when we aren't holding onto this world and all it's desires. And it lasts.
So I encourage you all to find Jesus and to know Him, not just know of him, taste the freedom that only he can give.
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9 ESV)
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, (in Jesus) so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)
I want big superficial things like a gorgeous house 5 miles outside the city with so many rooms I can have company for days, money so I can travel whenever I want and take whomever I want with me. A ford raptor truck (love u kev), a camper.. No wait, a motorhome, a house in Hawaii.. Weekly pedicures, a robotic chef, maid and masseuse.
Realistically, I want a new kitchen, crown molding in every room, new hard wood flooring, a new washer and dryer, a new car and a pool.
Sooo Superficial. None of this matters.
But, I'm leading into something. Something gooood:-)
I also desire not so superficial things like more babies, freedom for ppl still living in slavery (the sex trade specifically), behaved children and homes for every orphan. Maybe you desire things like that, or maybe you desire love from another person, more loving spouse or freedom from past pain.
Those superficial things are not wrong in and of themselves, but our desire for these things and even the good desires uncovers something else. Something about every human being that has ever lived. A deep longing we all have,
For happiness
For security
For comfort
And I would also add, for LOVE
Because secretly we hope that maybe just maybe if we get everything we want or at least a few more things, we will have less problems and be happier than we are now, we will be more secure in our surrounding and more comfortable and maybe if we are with the right person or ppl we will find more or better love.
Humanity has also discovered something else, when we help others we are happier, like doing random acts of kindness or serving others before yourself, but neither are these cure-alls for lasting happiness.
When your life is full of desire, full of hope for something, perhaps a dream or a desire just waiting to become reality.... Superficial or not, What do we ultimately want above all else? In the end, what we're all striving for is peace; deep and everlasting peace.
Could I be so bold as to ask you to entertain the thought, if even for a moment, that there is only one who can ultimately give us that peace and that's Jesus, just Jesus.
Don't roll your eyes, just bear with me a little while...
Do you have peace - really? Can you say that your sins have been forgiven? Do you have that kind of peace? You can search the world over, and under and throughout but you will never be fully at rest or satisfied without knowing Jesus.
Jesus wasn't just a good man or a good teacher, he was and is God, YOUR creator. He was the picture of perfection and the author of love.
And he came to us, not as a mighty warrior but as a wee babe, as humble as they come. Not to save humanity from an oppressive government. But to save us from ourselves. For the wages of sin... all our bad ways equal our death and his immense love just couldn't let that happen. He came and took our place, died the death we should have died and freed us so we can live an eternity with him!
Did you hear that? He freed us from our constant striving and from guilt and sadness and offers us guilt-free living and ultimate peace!!!!
I want to see some smiles here, maybe even a few happy dances!
"And if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead you will be saved!"
When we put Jesus at the center of our lives, not to the side, not outside the door of our lives, not telling him how much room he gets in our lives, something happens...
Freedom and JOY!
Unending Joy.
And the more you walk with him, the more joy you have. It grows because you rooted yourself in God.. And the fruit comes from knowing and being known and loved by God, so it lasts, And lasts and lasts.. Until one day when we see him face to face.
Seriously take a minute to imagine standing before your creator, before your king, your father... In complete and utter awe... Father, we did it. Father, You led me so well... Thank you. I can hardly wait.
Joy displayed in us doesn't look like a happy dance every morning, (though maybe for some it does!) joy is a still quiet, steady confidence that no matter what hardship we face, no matter what valley we are trying to get out of, no matter how crazy our day is that joy is knowing who has us. In knowing the God of the universe loves us and is always good.
But what do we do with our desires in the meantime?
We abandon our grip on our desires and we sit before The Lord, maybe we fall before him, fall in desperation of wanting change. Of wanting to be in the right place with him.. A change of desires maybe, or patience to wait. We talk to Him.
We lay our desires at his feet and instead of asking for all these things, Bc he already knows our desires. We say, God work in me and take me where you want me. And u say this with a faith mindset. God, build my faith, my character in you and let's not worry about my physical life.... (Because faith is what lasts).
Help me let go of the short lived glamour of this world, help me Abandon everything before you and may you be the thing I crave most! Here you will find freedom, peace, joy love....
Life hasn't been at all what 16yr old Tara once imagined, but it's been full of joy. I am such a work in progress but I have learnt:
The healthy way to walk through hard deeply painful trials.
How to choose love over fear.
To trust that God loves me with a fierce love Just the same as all his other children.
And What freedom looks and feels like from living without strongholds.
And the list goes on.
All that because I rooted myself in Christ, not because I'm amazing, he did all that work.
God doesn't promise lasting comfort, security or happiness apart from him.
He promises the Joy that comes from the peace only Jesus can give. It is born from the freedom we feel when we aren't holding onto this world and all it's desires. And it lasts.
So I encourage you all to find Jesus and to know Him, not just know of him, taste the freedom that only he can give.
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9 ESV)
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, (in Jesus) so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)
Comments
So nice to see a new blog post!
Wishing your heart is full of God's treasures.
meet and greet at Birmingham
meet and greet at Heathrow