…fill in the blank.
What do you think you “need” in order to make you happy? We all have a wish list; my list would run something like this: a husband, a new car, losing weight.
Now, don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with any of these things. It is only when I expect more from them than they can deliver that I get into trouble…
Consider these verses:
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
It is not the riches that are in view in this passage, but the heart. You can be rich and desire more and more; or poor and desire to be rich. That desire can drive your actions and inform your commitments; this is what can plunge you into ruin. It is the love of money that is a root of all kinds of evil…the more you love money and are committed to it, the more you will be willing to do whatever it takes to get it. This is what we much guard against.
But I think we can move that into other areas of our lives. Calvin informs us that our hearts are “idol factories”. We were created to worship. If we do not direct that worship toward God, we will not cease to worship; we will just direct that worship to something else. Whatever becomes something we think we cannot live without, or be happy without becomes an idol to us.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher sought to find meaning and purpose. He sought it in the accumulation of things, in seeking and fulfilling every pleasure that floated through his heart. Then he sought it in the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom. And he came to this conclusion: all is vanity, a striving of the wind. Everything done “under the sun”, done with just this temporal time and place in view will ultimately fail to fill that deepest longing, for God has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:10). Nothing temporal will satisfy that. If we place all our hope in these temporal things, we will be disappointed.
But if we find our hope, rest, security and peace in Christ, we can joyfully praise and thank Him for the many gifts He bestows on us as we live this life.
It is the Lord who fills our hearts with that which truly fulfills us. The psalmist reminds us, “The Lord is [our] portion; apart from You [we] have no good thing.” He is the anchor for our souls, the hope that will never disappoint.
Let us hope in Him, and find our “happiness” in knowing that He is faithful to do what He has promised.
Grace and peace…
