What do you want?
Published 11:11 am Monday, July 22, 2019
Do you ever feel like you can’t make anyone happy? No matter what you say, no matter what you do, no matter where you go, someone is going to complain about the decision. In the movie, “The Notebook,” Allie is talking with Noah who finally screams out to her, “What do you want? What do you want?” Allie tells him “it’s not that simple!” He again asks a couple more times: “What do you want?” We all get these moments of frustration, don’t we? Whether it’s a mom answering the same question a thousand times, or simply responding to the nonstop “mom!” being called from the other room, the employee trying to figure out exactly what the supervisor actually desires, or the husband or boyfriend trying to figure out just where his lady wants to eat We all find ourselves at times wanting to scream out loud — what do you want!
The crazy part is, who cares? Does anyone truly care what we want? Is there someone who gives a hoot about what we desire? Can I just have a day for myself for once? Life can be so frustrating, can’t it? You know, we ain’t alone! There is an Old Testament character named Elijah who was at his wits end and stressed out, overworked, over thinking, hiding from a horrible and evil king named Ahab and his boo thang, Jezebel, and in 1 Kings 19 we read where Elijah cries out to God, “I have had enough, Lord.” Do you know what helped Elijah — a prophet, a man of God, a servant who was giving life his best shot and feeling like his best just wasn’t good enough? A nap and a snack. Today, life may be overwhelming for you. You may be ready to yell at your significant other, your children, other people’s children, your co-workers, that car that cut you off, that person at the grocery store in your way with a cart full in the 12 items or less lane — stop. Just stop. Seek some away time even if that is just enjoying a moment of quiet in the car, alone at a town park while enjoying some local ice cream, a candy bar, and a bottle of water or soda. Breath in. Breath out. Don’t snap. Just find a moment to enjoy the quiet. In this quiet, seek God. Jeremiah 29:11-14 promises us that when we seek God and His way, we won’t be disappointed (check this passage out in “The Message” version). So, what do you want? No — stop asking this. What do you need? Need. Not want. That’s easy. You need God and His way.
Rev. Cameron Bailey is pastor at Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at www.kenbridgechristian.com.