Desiring a Happily Ever After

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Ever heard this verse? I used to think this was God’s promise to essentially be my fairy godfather. I just needed to be patient, pray, and I’d get whatever I wanted. Life would turn into a fairy tale, I’d find out I was a princess (with perfect hair!), a dashing prince would come along, and we all know the last three words, “happily ever after” it would be.

Isn’t a desire for a perfect story built into our hearts, even as children? We are born knowing life isn’t as it should be. As soon as a newborn cries, our curse from the garden is exposed. Our desires, the things our hearts cry for, are not to be found.

Fairy tales are beautiful in that they remind us how life could be. That good should win. That real beauty is ageless. That a man’s strength is in his character. When the desires of the good hero and heroine are granted, and the happy ending finds them riding off into the sunset. 

I have yet to meet someone, who, in their heart of hearts, does not long to live a fairy tale.    

 Who wouldn’t love a happy ending to each day on earth?

I have seen friends receive the desires of their hearts. But I have also seen friends still waiting, hoping, and praying for certain dreams.  

Having a desire does not make it wrong. As Paul Tripp writes in ‘Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands': “Desire is one way our design mirrors God. Here we are much closer to him than the rest of creation, which either functions by instinct or by biochemical processes. To stop desiring is impossible, because when you quit desiring, you are dead.”

 Desires can be for good things. But we need to ask why we desire things—it is the heart that God looks at (1 Samuel 16:7).

Is what I want for God’s glory or for mine?

 

This statement “for God’s glory” always confused me as a kid. I went to a Christian middle school, and before basketball games or a cross-country meet someone would always pray “let it all be for Your glory.” What?! My little mind was always baffled.

It took me a few years (and some people wiser than myself!) but the mystery around this statement has been solved. ‘For God’s glory’ means making everything in life about Him. Even my desires.  

I’ll try to explain how I understand it.  

Like most girls, I have a desire to bring beauty into the world. But is it so people will praise, worship, glorify…me? Or is my desire for a beauty that mirrors Christ, that glorifies him with a grace that loves and encourages others?  

In every area of life, I need to test my desires. Are they Christ-like, or self-seeking? James says it best:

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4: 1-3

Woah. Guilty as charged. There have been times I have prayed for things I wanted and didn’t get them. But if I had questioned my heart, I would have seen my desires were purely selfish.   

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. Too often, we look at this verse and forget the first half of the sentence. But the first words show the condition for God’s blessing—when we ‘delight ourselves in the Lord.”

Delight: I love this word because it also means happiness. When we are happy, joyful, and delight in pleasing the Lord, our desires will be changed. When we seek to live godly lives, our desires will change to reflect those of our Father. Our desires will be filled with a longing to live righteously, love others more deeply, and to serve God with all our heart, soul, and strength.   

These are the desires God promises to fulfill.

When God doesn’t grant my selfish desires, I am compelled to look beyond myself. We would not be the people we are without God’s redemptive goodness. To see that life isn’t about me, but about Him.

“You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing. For the LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.” Psalm 145: 16

Take heart. He cares. He knows— know Him. He is able to change and fulfill your desires.

Today, Tomorrow, and the Unknown

 

Ever find yourself planning the future? I do this often. I daydream about what I want to happen, what I hope doesn’t happen, and what I think really will happen. My emotions soon become a mixture of hope, dread, and worry.   

After 21 years of attempting to plan out my life, let’s just say no plan has gone according to plan.

It almost gets me laughing. There’s no way you or I can fathom every trial, conversation, blessing, or difficulty that can be packed into a day. Man has conquered so many ‘elements,’ but somehow we can’t figure out what tomorrow, a seemingly simple day may hold?! It leaves no option but to recognize something else is in control.

Other people, situations, money, education… these are just a few things that seem to govern my life.  

But I’ve noticed something.   

If I choose to let myself believe a situation has supreme control over my life, I get worried.

If I choose to let myself believe other people have supreme control over my life, I get fearful.

If I choose to let myself believe my attributes (my appearance, talents, ect) hold supreme power over my life, I get anxious.

My emotions reveal where my trust is placed. I may confess my God with my mouth, but what is my heart confessing when emotions rise? Most times, I am believing people or situations control my life.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” –Proverbs 16:9

 

 No matter what I say, no matter what I do, and no matter what others do, God is sovereign. He establishes our steps.

In times of worry, anxiety, or fear, I can rest in the promises of a God who has promised to be my Helper and Refuge (Psalm 118:7), has plans to prosper and not to harm me (Jeremiah 29:11), works all things together for my good (Romans 8:28), and loves me with a steadfast love that is BETTER than life (Psalm 63:3).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

  Real peace in a world of chaos. These are not promises for only 'weak' people. Being able to cope with stress, anxiety, or fear on our own strength is only managing the problem--it is not freeing from its grasp.

Mark 4:35-41. Jesus and his disciples are on a boat in the midst of a storm. The storm is so violent, in fact,  it appears the boat may be sunk. In the meantime...Jesus is found sleeping!! After being frantically woken up, Jesus (I imagine him peacefully yawning, still half-asleep) speaks to the crashing waves, the high winds, and simply tells them to cease.  An unearthly calm ensues. Jesus then questions his disciples—why were they fearful?  Where was their faith?

    I’d like to think this storm serves as a metaphor for any life trial. Do you believe that our God is in control—over today, tomorrow, and the unknown future? 

                                                                                  ~ ~   ~ ~   ~ ~   ~ ~   ~ ~

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10: 28-30    

 

Here to Love

              It’s my second nature to look for ways to entertain myself. I’m betting it’s yours too. Our conversations revolve around it, our weekends are planned with it, and our money is spent on it. Sometimes even our reputations can be gauged on how tasteful, trendy, or knowledgeable we are related to the newest thing that’s got us talking.

 

           Entertainment isn’t a bad thing: it can make us laugh, keeps the kids smiling, and gives the rest of us something to do on a Friday night. Entertainment can come in many shapes and sizes. But it’s when we make a decision based on how to only please ourselves that leads to sour entertainment. It’s the heart motive behind it: when my focus is to only seek out my own happiness and desires.  

            When my life becomes about me getting what I want.

 

If I’m not there to serve, why am I there?

 This has been a question on the forefront of my mind whenever I find myself making a decision on how to spend my time…or my money. How will I entertain myself on a Friday night? How willing I am to share my resources? Will I choose to get my priorities met, or give someone else my time?  I don’t always have a willing spirit to share what I’ve got.

I’m reading a book called ‘Revolution in World Missions’ by K.P Yohannan, a missionary for India and director of Gospel for Asia. Yohannan speaks of his experience in wealthy America that I think relates:

“This ever-present blast of media disturbed me. For some reason, Americans seemed to need to surround themselves with noise all the time. Even in their cars, I noticed the radios were on even when no one was listening. Why do they always have to be either entertained or entertaining? I wondered. It was as if they were trying to escape from a guilt they had not yet defined or even identified.”

I’m not an artist, so here’s a picture with words. Sometimes my thoughts could look like a kid hiding in the back of a school bus with headphones and a hoodie pulled over my face; drowning the world out and wallowing in music to escape the reality around me—the reality that I’ve made life about myself, and it isn’t satisfying. It’s really left sad, alone, and with a sense of guilt for reasons I am unsure of.   

            What if guilt can be a good thing—a warning signal that tells us when we’ve begun to step outside of God’s path, the path that leads to true goodness? It’s like accidentally brushing your hand up against a hot stove—that initial jolt of knowing that something is wrong.

Before we realize that our hand is on the stove, being burnt…badly.   

           Here are words that really matter, are really true, and will outlast the world. Food is for the body, Scripture is for the soul:

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

             The world has its own system for greatness: physical beauty, athletic skill, academic success, the list is long. We’re familiar with it, and if we don’t let Christ work in us daily to renew our mindset, we start to work for the top spot and assess others on where they fall.  

But real greatness is the one willing to be a servant; to be a slave to serving others. And when I say ‘real’ I mean a substance, something that is as much of a reality as the computer you read this from. If the Bible is true—then so is this real definition of greatness.   

              Love is serving. Love is fulfilling. Love is sacrifice—giving up what we’ve got.

               Looking to always please my own desires is not only exhausting, but can lead down a lonely road. When I take the focus off myself and put it on others, I’m more joyful . More content. Overall just...happier. The point is not so much that we should be serving, but that in serving is where we find true blessing. In a culture of abundance, sometimes this becomes a fact more than an application.   

All in all, I’ve been given so much.  But I don’t think God gave me much so I could spend my time, money, talents, whatever it is I’ve got…looking for ways to only please myself.

 

 A loving God grants abundance when He wants it shared.   

 

 

                                                                       And the question still needs an answer.

                                                           If I’m not there to serve others, why am I there?   

                                 

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”   
                
 ~ Galatians 5:13-14

About Hannah

Hello there, can I call you friend? :)

Welcome to this random blog that I mean to make a "collaboration" of good things gathered on earth. Food, nature, sunsets, recipes, the little things like how raindrops hit the pavement…there are many good, beautiful, and true things to be found and celebrated :)

  “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7

                      The point of anything I say, anything I do, should be to tell you with confidence,

                       to bring you the BEST news,

 Your God--Your Creator---Reigns. 

I am a Registered Dietitian currently working for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children).
I love to cook, bake, tamper with recipes , and I don't go a day without eating dark chocolate and avocados, my two food-loves!