Satisfaction

When I think of satisfaction, I think of eating a good meal…usually one that I made healthy eating choices in. Those ones are actually the most satisfying regardless of what I ate. I didn’t stuff myself, and know I will be regretting that later. And also I didn’t just nibble on something to take the edge off. I ate as much as it took to fill my stomach, and enjoyed it. I ate to live, not lived to eat.
But when it comes to God, I have a different connotation of satisfaction. When I think of satisfaction in Christ – and forgive and correct me if I’m wrong here - I don’t find that kind of satisfaction actually Biblical. When I think of satisfaction in Christ, what comes to my mind is something more like this: being so aware, tuned into, and thankful for All Christ has done, that it’s too much. I’m overwhelmed – stuffed – from a grace so deep I will never recover from. And if I were to find any more richness or blessing heaped on top of His blessings I would just about spontaneously combust – in spite of how good even MORE of a wonderful thing sounds. Somehow I think Christ had something more like that in mind too – as He came to give us life to THE FULL. And Paul probably had something like that on his heart also when he prayed for his Ephesian brothers and sisters of the Cross “….that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you being rooted in love, maybe have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be FILLED with all the FULLNESS of GOD.” (Eph 3:17-18) Now THAT sounds more like something I’m interested in. :)
So how do I get there? How do I keep myself satisfied in Christ when there are so many other things which become willing and easy idols just jumping at any chance to just move a little bit in front of My True Satisfaction? (All they need is an inch….if they can have that, a mile is next up) I wish I had an easy answer to that question. I honestly don’t really. The other things in life – or the hope of things to come in life – seem so wonderful and fulfilling in and of themselves, sometimes it’s hard to recognize that they are or will be only a bi-product of my walk with Christ. To the degree I find satisfaction in my walk with Christ, I will find rest and contentment in the other areas of my life.
I am thankful for an aha moment I had just yesterday though during Bible Study. (Which happened to be about Devine Satisfaction…this is a reflection of that) Now, I must ask in advance for you to excuse me for sounding simplistic, but this is something I think God really gave me. Some He speaks to in a still, small voice. With me, that still small voice usually speaks so clearly and slowly and explains things in such basic terms my nephew who’s almost 3 and a half could just about understand it. :) And so goes my “aha!” moment. ;) Here it is: I am the type who you could say is almost addicted to water. I’m constantly drinking it. Not necessarily because I like it so much. It’s really kind of a habit cause I know it’s good for me….probably my only healthy habit I have right now in fact. Seriously, I consume a lot of water. On an average day, I usually drink at least 3 liters of water…often times more. On a really hot summer day, it’s not surprising for me to drink something like 6 or 7 liters. But the point being I am constantly drinking water. But you know what? I’m also rarely really thirsty. Most of the time, I’m drinking because I just know my body needs the fluid not because my mouth wants the fluid. Not because my body is starting to act out and tell me I need it, but because I know what will happen to my body if I don’t have enough water. It’s happened to me before years ago. In high school I once woke up so dehydrated and nauseated (the morning after getting the WORST sun burn of my life…) that I literally had to sit down 3 or 4 times just to get from the couch I was sleeping on at my aunt and uncles house in their upstairs to their kitchen down stairs. I felt immediately better after downing about 2 tall glasses of water and a third shortly after. My body was screaming for water STAT. But I understand that if I’m not constantly satisfying my bodies need for hydration, if I don’t make it a habit, I may get sick. So because it is a habit, I rarely get thirsty. I am constantly being replenished….hence, I don’t remember the last time my throat was dry or I felt dehydrated. Another observation? Because I drink so much water, a lot of the time, I don’t drink much besides water. I rarely crave any other drink. Yeah, I like a cup of coffee or a can of pop sometimes, but it’s not a craving or dependency. I am dependant on water. My point? My spirit and physical body were designed much the same way in this. I could be spending my spiritual and emotional energy drinking the spiritual equivalent to pop. Sure…going to school, having a career, getting married, traveling, adopting every orphan I ever meet (KIDDING...i think :D) or so many other things may be good things. They have their own type of reward. But it’s all empty without Christ. And if you rely on those good things in life for your sense of worth, identity and fulfillment, you will get sick spiritually. Just like I’d get sick physically if I tried living on pop in the middle of a heat wave….heat stroke anyone? So my key to finding satisfaction in Christ is taking him in, being in relationship with him, tasting, seeing and in every way possible experiencing that HE IS MORE THAN GOOD, He is MORE THAN ENOUGH. It’s taking time out daily with him to be with him one on one, and bringing him with me the rest of my day. It’s memorizing scripture. Doing all I can to let Him saturate and infect (in a good way :) ) all aspects of my life with the reckless and dangerous love He showed me and I SO.totally.don’t.deserve.

So there ya go… one of my big Divine revelations of the week. I know…simple. But you know something? I’m done over-complicating and over- thinking things. :) No more… not when His love is simple enough for me to get at about 5 years old. :)