Teen years. Awkward. Unsure. I loved God and so wanted to do life "right." I was ambitious even then, but wasn’t certain how everything inside my head would ever happen. I’m sure many of you can relate.
I recently watched family home videos and saw the stages of a cute fearless 9-year-old turn into a teenager who was “shy” and wanted so much to know that everything she wanted would one day come true. At that age, the most important thing seemed to be what my friends thought and if that guy at youth group would ever ask me out! I also saw on these videos my 4-year-old toothless brother being lippy and was immediately thankful God has turned him into such a gem of a man!
But I digress. What I wanted was to not be the last girl picked on the volleyball team in Phys Ed class. What I needed was to realize what my strengths and weaknesses were and be OK with that.
As society feeds us advertisements, social networking frenzies, instant gratification is nourished and I often wonder “to what end?” I’ve not yet been to the Mediterranean, but from what I have heard these cultures are very focused on family, food and enjoyment of a simple life. Some of the happiest people I’ve met lived in a tin shack or a garbage dump.
I still want a lot of things in life. That will never end.
One of my new favorite verses is found in 2 Peter 1:3: “As we know Jesus better, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness. And by that same mighty power He has given us all of His rich and wonderful promises… So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life” (NLT).
We were created to have needs and wants. God designed us with desire. And as our Designer, He’s also left it within Himself to fulfill that which he has designed. It’s like an engineer designing a car and then jumping right into that design to fill every empty space ever created—because he knows that only when he sits in that driver’s seat does that car really function the way it is supposed to.
However, in that verse the key is “as we know Jesus better …” That is what unlocks His promises. Knowing Him. And if you need to literally grab two cups of coffee and take Jesus for a ride and talk, then do it! Whatever works for you to realize that He is tangibly with you. He desires you more than you seek and want Him. That intimacy will unleash the ability to live a life that pleases our Creator. And then, as God does, He puts it in our hands in verse five with “make every effort to apply." Action words.
It is in my hands to apply and work and speak His promises. It’s like Christmas all year-round really. Everything I need is found right in my relationship with Him. Not rules. Intimacy. Friendship. Honor to the One who made me and loves me more than I’ll ever really comprehend. He’s got a lot going on for you and I.
