Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
I don't know about you, but I often times find myself dreaming of all the things I'd love to do and have. In my 27 years on this Earth, I've been beyond blessed to have and do more than a lot of people. Our business has taken us places that people only dream about and given us the freedom to do many things.
And there are so many times that I felt guilty for the way we live and the things we have. We give generously and serve as best we can, but I often don't understand why we've been blessed financially the way we have when others haven't. The scriptures that refer to wealth that bring me comfort are:
The blessing of the lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.
Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
And as a great reminder as to what we should do with wealth:
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
Unfortunately with all that being said, sometimes I get caught up wanting more. Part of that problem comes from the world, I know. There are studies that have shown that as Americans, we are bombarded with more 3,000 marketing images a day! And all of them are driven at making us spend more money to buy things we may or may not need.
Now let me make a note here: I think it is perfectly fine to dream and set goals. I believe that is what creates hard work, but I also think we should check ourselves and make sure that the things we want are things we can afford (or will one day be able to afford once we reach our goals), and that they will create long term happiness, not just the momentary satisfaction you get from online shopping.
It's so easy to never be content, to always want more. Maybe that's part of what drives us. And if you look at so many of the things we have and the things we do, you could easily argue that most of them are things that we don't need. So where do you draw the line?
Here is what I'm dreaming about in the inner most part of my soul lately:
A backyard oasis...we want to add on more covered patio and eventually do a pool.
Luke (my 2 year old) actually said "I want that" as I was looking at this picture online.
A bigger kitchen (and expanded upstairs). We have talked about expanding our kitchen and our upstairs by adding on. Maybe something like this...
and I'm not done yet....my heart is aching for a reason to paint a room like this....
Oh and to top off my list of "desires of my heart," let's add Italy to the list. Yes, I am itching to go to Italy and learn about my heritage.
The one thing I do know is that I have to keep seeking God. I know that none of the things of the world that I think I want will ever bring me peace or happiness. Those things only come from Christ. My plan now is to follow Him, and to do what He asks me to do. Oh, and I plan to take delight in Him. In other words I plan to admire Him, adore Him, cherish Him, exclaim Him, feast on Him, rejoice in Him, love Him, savor Him, triumph in Him. May you delight in Him as well.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
An after thought: I have numerous "desires" in my lifetime. And there are too many to name that I am so glad were never given to me. We have to know and trust that God always knows what's best for us when it's best for us.
I didn't read this post until after i wrote my recent post, and your Women's ministry dream is very much the biggest desire of my own heart. Hmm, you know...we should talk. :)
ReplyDeleteUmmmm yes, I think we should talk love!
ReplyDelete