What do you enjoy thinking about the most? If your private thoughts were made into a movie, who would be the star and what would be the plot?
The bible and science agree that we become what we think about. We think about the desires of our hearts. We all seek our own happiness. Whether by indulging our own senses, wallowing in delusion or pity, or living sacrificially toward some honorable goal, our thoughts and desires lead our lives. Do you wrestle with the conflict of thoughts and desires in your own mind? We want to do what we shouldn’t and don’t want to do what we should. Sometimes it seems we seek everything except that which brings us true happiness.
CS Lewis said, “It seems that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are too easily pleased.”
Think of something you really enjoy doing now and how your desire for that has increased over time. It could be a hobby, a planned vacation to a favorite destination, the drive for achievement, or spending time with the one you love. The more you think about your desire, the stronger it becomes and the more you want to fulfill it.
Of all these things we desire, where does desiring God fit in? The law of thought and desire still applies. The more we think about God, His character, His Word, His great plan for us, His power, His love and compassion for us; the more we desire Him. The more we desire Him, the more our heart is delighted. The things of earth, even the reality of cancer and heartache and grief, grow strangely dim as our desire for God increases.
We can choose to remain like the child making mud pies in the slum, or realize we could enjoy a holiday at the sea. Having the desires of your heart begins with delighting in God.
Isn’t time to enjoy life fully by pursuing God’s best for you?!
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)