For many people, that question prompts a long list of toys, clothes, gadgets and other things. Some wish for vacations, some for time to themselves, some for money, and some only want peace. Ask some people and the reply is “I don’t know” or “Nothing”. We complain because those people are “hard to buy for.”
Over the years, I have had a variety of things on my list of wants. Some were things I wanted very badly and had to wait years to attain. Houses, cars, the “dream kitchen” remodel, promotions, vacations, clothes, boots, experiences, relationships, relocation, success in business, and more. In some cases, the wanting became the focus of all of my energy and all of my attention. When I finally got what I wished for, though, the result was a short time of happiness before I was focused on something else I wanted. Life, it seemed, was a long series of wanting, chasing, getting, a burst of happiness that quickly faded, and then wanting again.
That didn’t change after I became a follower of Jesus Christ. Even as I sought to learn about Him, follow Him, obey Him, and love Him, I still continued to chase my own desires. The objects of those desires may have changed but the pursuit was the same. Instead of wanting a prestigious job, I wanted to teach a Bible study. Instead of a luxurious vacation, I wanted to attend a Bible conference featuring a famous Christian author. Instead of fancy gadgets, instead of a beach vacation, I wanted to visit the Ark Experience and the Creation Museum. I wanted more Christian books, decorations, jewelry, and clothing. I had taken my worldly desires and merely whitewashed them with a Christian veneer but underneath, it was the same. I was still focused on my fleshly desires.
Eventually, the Lord started showing me what I was doing and tweaking my conscience to get me to think about it. He used scripture, of course, starting with this verse in Matthew:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:25-26
Meditating on this verse, I realized that my material circumstances are not supposed to be the focus of my attention. God will provide whatever He determines I need. And really, as I began to think about it, when I get to Heaven will I remember or care about those fancy boots or what kind of stove I had in this life? Will it matter then whether I lived in a small house or a large one? Will that trip to the ark matter? In the weeks and months that followed, I encountered more verses that impacted my thinking.
“For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
Matthew 6:32
This verse is filled with meaning. First, whether your translation says “pagans” or “gentiles”, it is referring to people who do not worship the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By telling us they “run after”, or in other translations, “chase after”, or “set their hearts on”, or “strive for”, Jesus is telling us that these are people who make earthly comfort and security the focus of their efforts and attention. Since people generally cannot focus on two things at once, focusing on worldly things means the things of God take a back seat or are completely neglected. Finally, He gives the definitive instruction,
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”
Matthew 6:33
He tells us to focus on pleasing God, not ourselves. In essence, He’s telling us, “I know you need to be fed and clothed. You focus on serving the Lord and obeying Him and He will make sure your needs are met.” The next place the Lord spoke to me on this topic was in Psalm 37.
Take delight in the Lord,
Psalm 37:4
and He will give you your heart’s desires.
I’m learning to take delight in the Lord and He is changing the desires of my heart. This is an ongoing process and I have to focus on it in order to avoid sliding back into the habit of craving things. I fail sometimes and buy the boots or the car or the kitchen gadget. When I do, I repent and seek to avoid future failures. I try to choose to focus on the things with eternal consequences. This is easier to do when I keep myself immersed in God’s Word. The more I allow myself to be exposed to the things of this world, especially advertising and TV, the harder it is to focus on seeking God’s Kingdom instead of contemplating buying new jeans.
I may still visit the ark or attend that Bible conference someday, but most of the time, I’m not focused on striving for those things. If I get them, I will give thanks and enjoy them but I know that pleasure will be fleeting. If I don’t ever do them, I will give thanks and enjoy whatever it is God has me doing instead. These days, in order to avoid being “hard to buy for”, I generally try to have an answer to the gift question for when loved ones ask but the truth is that what I want, nobody can buy for me. It is something I must seek, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to cultivate inside myself. What is it that I want that money cannot buy? Contentment. What I really want is to be satisfied with who I am and what I have exactly as it is right now. I think I’ll write more about contentment in another post. Stay tuned.
a surrendered life 