Desire

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.  1 John 2:17

Have you ever wanted something so much it occupied your thoughts completely?  Sometimes we want things so badly we pray for it and we think about it and we ask others to pray for it too.  It’s almost as if the desire overcomes our thoughts and emotions.  I’m sure I’m not the only person to say that “something” I desired didn’t materialize at all.  God is so smart he often denies those desires because he has something so much better in store for us but when we’re stuck in the middle of the wanting that concept can be pretty tough to swallow.  I suppose we desire all kinds of things, romance, money, health, jobs, a bigger house, a baby, a better car or peace in our family.  Whatever the desire, God is hearing and putting a plan in motion.  For everyone stuck in the desiring process, I came across this little story  told by Fr. Paul Wharton that illustrates exactly what we need to desire first.

A young man sought out the counsel of a wise and holy hermit.  He asked the holy man to tell him how to find God. “How great is your desire to know Him”?, asked the saintly old man. “More than anything else in the world,” came the young mans reply. The hermit took the young man to the lake shore and they waded into the water until they were neck deep.  The hermit then took the young man and pushed him under the water.  The young man struggled terribly but the old man did not release his grip until the young man was about to drown. When they returned to the shore the hermit asked the young  man, “Son, when you were under water, what did you want more than anything else?” The young man replied “Air!” “Well then, you will find God when your desire for him is as great as your desire for air was while I was holding you under the water.” spoke the old wise man.  

As I’m busy praying for the things I desire, and praying for the things other people desire I realize I’m falling short.  I’m falling short because I don’t quite have my desires in order.  I need God; I worship, praise and thank God all throughout my day but it’s my desire for him that falls short.  After reading that tiny little story, I realize that if I’m being completely honest, I don’t desire him as much as the young man desired air.  I suppose if I worked on that desire with fervent prayer and dedication the rest of the desires on my list would probably fall right into place because I would want only Him and in wanting Him, I want less for myself.  I would imagine there would be an enormous feeling of contentment if I got my desires in order. The story caused me to think a lot about what it means to desire Him more than air.  Maybe this little story is just what you needed today too.  So, let’s take a deep breath and organize our desires.

A Seed To Plant:  Read the story again and then make a list of your desires. Put the words God/Air at the top and spend the week praying about it all.​

Blessings on your day!