I had a wonderful weekend with my daughter and her fun, energetic teenage friends, but I felt hot tears sting my eyes as she said it was the best birthday she remembers in recent years. I was able to be present. When I say present, I mean there, fully engaged and not just in body only. Just a few years ago these moments seemed beyond my reach. I looked with envy on women who enjoyed such a relationship with their children.
“That’s just not me.”, I would think. “I’m busy. I have a career. Somebody has to make a living.”
Oh, there are lots of excuses, but it actually came down to my choice. I had spent my whole early adulthood chasing fulfillment in accomplishment. I was looking for the some great ‘them’ to tell me I was enough. We chase recognition. Oh, I think we all do it. Some search for YouTube fame, some to be known as the most attractive, the best cook, or the wealthiest. Whatever your position of prestige, head of the PTA or president of the company, we all search somewhere for our significance.
Let me let you in on a little secret: none of it is fulfilling. Oh, that we would believe it! The Bible warns us that the good gifts of God never satisfy like God himself. Think about it. What if you had a wealthy, powerful Father, and for every birthday, Christmas and special event you were showered with his gifts? What if daily you were provided with luxury? In all this, if he never spoke a word to you, never saw you, never listened to you speak, or interacted with you at all, would you be satisfied with his gifts? Good? Yes! But satisfying? No, I think not. We were created for relationship.
God invites us into relationship through his son, Jesus Christ. When we were strangers, He extended to us his love. We lived in different worlds. Our world was one of sin and darkness, and He is perfection and light. He came to our world, looking for us. The penalty for sin is death and when he died on the Cross, He paid that debt for us. He wrapped us in the royal robe of his perfection. What greater significance is there than to belong to the Creator of the Universe!
The only way to escape from the trap of chasing meaning in a meaningless life, is to believe Jesus has all you need. His love is transforming! It’s not hard to turn away chocolate cake when you’re full and satisfied, but wait until you are hungry, and there is no will power. So, stop trying harder and instead drink deeper. Pour out your heart and desires to God, and let him tell you who you are. Invest the time for a relationship. Be fully engaged. Married, not just moved in together. All in. It has been the ride of my life. I would not change it for the world. God is good, all the time; God is good!
