More, More, More...

James 4:2

You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (New International Version)

Some things are just never enough.

Do you ever feel like you long for something…you get it…then a few weeks, months, or years…you long for more? For something else even? Something newer, brighter, shinier, better…

Maybe you got a new car, and a few years later, you are tired of that car, so you get a new one.
Maybe you are desperate to get married, you get married, and a few years later, just being married isn’t enough…you want more-bigger car, bigger house, more kids, etc.
Maybe you sign up at a job under a particular salary, you work there for several years, and then, what you are getting paid just does not seem to be enough for what you do.

The point here is to ask the question “Are we really ever satisfied in anything?”

So many times I hear my young friends who are newly married get restless with what they have, and they complain. I hear people who pay hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home complain because something is not good enough. Not that I do not ever long for more…I imagine we all do at some point. I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a close friend about how many times in America we just want to “keep up with the Joneses”-meaning we see what others have and we think that that particular thing is missing, so our motivation is to get more or to complain when we do not.

We seem to live in a dissatisfied place. More, more, more, more….more stuff, more expectations of each other, more of this or that…you fill in the blank. At times, I believe that this wanting of more may stem from envy of others. This too I have had a conversation about with a friend recently. Envy means that you want what someone else has and you do not want them to have it. Envy causes resentment toward the person who possesses what you want, or it causes bitterness when you have unmet expectations. Envy can be a root for dissatisfaction.

Disstatisfaction also comes along when we are seeking fulfillment in the things seen. We see something we want it. We want, we want, we want…then we mistake what we want for what we need. This is definitely not the same thing. So, we seek to be fully satisfied in things that only temporarily quench a thirst that we have. It is like drinking salt water when you are dehydrated. It just does NOT quench the thirst…and it can even make it worse.

For some reason the best analogy that many people my age relate to is that of marriage. The girl wants so badly to get married…the guy proposes, they plan a wedding…they get married, have a honeymoon, and then start a beautiful life together. But so many times I hear about how one or the other was trying to fill a void with that other person. Since I am a girl, I will use this from an aspect of a female; sorry men. I definitely do not claim to have a lot of insight into you ;). The girl complained before she dated the boy (probably about her singleness or about how others had what she did not), then when she finally started dating and getting what she thought she wanted most, she complained about something there; then after they get married, there are more wants…it never stops. The wanting, seeking, striving for something more never ceases. My tolerance for selfish complaining like this really starts to wear thin. But the idea is the same with anything-you think you deserve a better pay, better house, better spouse, better _______. You “think” you deserve what someone else has…and yet the hole in your chest will come back. It is a guarantee.

Now, this probably sounds pretty pessimistic, but I honestly think that is how we do a lot of things in life. We get something we longed for, it’s not good enough so we want more…but something seems to always be missing-even for a lot of us “Christian” people.

The truth, however, is that those of us who profess a believing faith in Jesus Christ should look and sound differently in regards to ALL areas of life; this includes what we strive for, what we long for, what we find our satisfaction in. I get sooooo mad at myself when I start to think about the “mores” of life as I like to call them. When we get our eyes of off the main focus of this life, then even the blessings in our lives are not enough…because the holes are trying to be filled with things that are only temporary. God’s Word says this: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NIV) The verses before these talk about the grace that is extended to all people and how thanksgiving should overflow. If only our eyes would remain fixed where they belong would we not be distracted by dissatisfaction.

It is not that wanting blessings such as nice cars, houses, kids, spouses are wrong. It is when more is needed from these things to make us feel temporarily full on the inside than is sought out in the Lord. The problem is seen in 2 Corinthians. We are wasting away. We are inevitably dying, whether we want to or not. The things we hold so tightly to, they are wasting away and the fulfillment they provide is momentary. That more, more, more that we want should be focused on Jesus-then satisfaction is guaranteed. And…we won’t aggravate everyone around us with our complaining or pity parties.

Instead of complaining or thinking too much about the “mores” of life that I may deem important or necessary for my satisfaction in this temporary life, I have challenged myself instead to pray. I have been reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala. If you have not read it, I would recommend it. There are some great ideas on prayer and trusting God as well as amazing stories within this book. One of my favorite sections speaks of praying and how we do not have because we do not ask. We do not get everything we ask for, but we may be lacking because we do not ask in faith for God to provide. This could include asking for something more satisfying, like the fulfillment of Jesus. Many Christians may say amen or agree with this statement; however, it is not as simplistic as we may think. If it were as easy as it sounds then we would not be dissatisfied in life.

So, the challenge. Rend your heart from temporary and momentary things…stop looking at what you do not have and look at what you do. Instead of complaining in each phase of your life, maybe take a look at someone else’s life…at how it would feel if you were in their shoes. A change of perspective is a good place to start-this may be a change to God’s perspective of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness aka “the mores”. Rend your heart from temporary and momentary things.

Render your heart to the things that will last forever-there is only ONE person that can constantly satisfy all of our needs, wants, desires. That is Jesus Christ. When we seek MORE of Him then what we may be lacking in other areas do not matter.
 “We often go without things God wants us to have right now, today, because we fail to ask.” Jim Cymbala


Jeremiah 29:11-13


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. (New International Version)