Satisfaction (Justine Bateman, Liam Neeson, 1988)

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always." (1 Chronicles 16:10-11)

I've spent countless hours in prayer asking God for things: more of this, more of that, less of this... But, right now I'm wondering how many hours I've spent asking God for the only thing that never passes away: Him!

I know God does not withhold Himself from me. However, to walk in the power of His presence, I must seek His will, ways, and voice in my life daily. I must die to myself and allow Him to increase in me. It's not that He's not there. It's that sometimes I don't acknowledge He's there.

Lately, I've found myself dwelling on many things that do not really matter. They are things that can never ultimately satisfy me. They are distractions. Even some of the good things I want can distract me from the main thing: Jesus and Him crucified.

So, today, instead of asking for more stuff...more blessings...I'm asking God for more of Him! I am asking Him to be so manifest and powerful in my life that I forget all the "stuff" and just bask in the contentment of knowing and belonging to an eternal, living, and loving God! After all, no thing God gives can truly satisfy me. Once I have it, I'm on to the next biggest and greatest thing. But...Jesus...there's no other God like Him. He alone can satisfy all my soul's desires.

Cry Baby (Johnny Depp, 1984)

You can learn so many spiritual lessons from children. The Lord dropped a pretty big one in my lap as I witnessed my son's third tantrum of the day. This particular tantrum was brought on by my child's urgent desire for juice. Totally put off by my refusal to allow him to drink out of the 46 oz. juice bottle, he proceeded to lay on his stomach, cover his head, and scream into the floor.

Undeterred by his ritual, I poured juice into his cup and then offered it to him. I called his name...no response--he's still screaming into the floor. So, I called him again...and again...and again. I tapped his leg, his back, and then tried to turn him over and stand him up. I tried everything but he was too focused on expressing his discontent to even notice the juice I offered him.

It struck me that I've probably done the same thing to God. I know there have been times I've ignored His call; there were times I failed to see the blessing He'd placed right in front of me. You see, I was too busy complaining and being angry with Him for not giving me what I wanted/when I wanted it/how I wanted it. All the while, the blessing was right there for me--but in a vessel that I could use more effectively rather than the one I originally requested.

Instead of becoming angry, I hugged my son and whispered into His ear: "Calm down. I'm here. You're juice is right there." I extended grace and let my son know that everything was alright. Then, he finally saw the juice. It was right there all that time. But, sometimes it takes a "still small voice" to help us open our eyes to see.