On the last day of our vacation, as I always do, I stared at the blue ocean and daydreamed about being able to see it all the time.
What would it be like to live in a Caribbean paradise?
The scuba diver and ocean lover part of me thinks I would love it. And that part is very vocal every time I have to leave it and come back to rainy, cold Seattle.
As our plane landed at Seatac, and we jumped in our Uber coming home, I realized what makes me happiest.
It’s the cold, rainy Seattle!
Yeah, it surprises me every time, too.
This world tries to tell us to do what we want. Whatever makes you feel good is what you should do. Ignore all the voices, and do it – regardless of the consequences. Live in the moment!
Take that drink.
Take that drug.
Have that one night stand.
That is what will make you truly happy.
Deal with the consequences later… or, if you prefer, don’t deal with them at all. Just do something else that makes you feel good.
The problem with that logic is that it’s a fairy tale. Doing what makes you feel good in the flesh is usually the fastest route to heartache and regrets.
How many people have lost families they loved because of that one night stand?
How many people have lost everything because of that one drug or drink?
It’s sad, and it’s a very common story.
Then, of course, there’s living for God. The constant struggle of spirit vs. flesh – presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, etc. It seems like such a drab life from the outside looking in.
A drab Christian decides to live in cold, rainy Seattle rather than living it up on a Caribbean beach.
But, it’s not drab at all. It’s wonderful!
This life is better than that life.
God keeps proving that I find my greatest joy in being a living sacrifice.
Psalm 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart.
That thing that is so deceitful we can’t really know what it wants – God knows. Our heart lies to us and says sandy beaches are what we want. But God sees through those superficial lies to the truth. And as we lay those sandy beaches on the altar, and sacrifice for what God wants for us, we find that we get what our heart really wants in return.
David said it like this: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”
He was glad. He was happy. He was fulfilled.
This morning I walked into our little church building in downtown Seattle. This little miracle in a long line of miracles… and I realized…
This is where I belong.
This is what fulfills me. This is what my heart truly desires.
Living for God, I do get to do what feels good. I get to do what I truly want.
I get to enjoy His presence today, along with several other people. We get to sing, dance, and celebrate His blessings, goodness, and provision.
We get to celebrate because we are free. We are happy. We are fulfilled.
And, we get to do it in Seattle, the place where God has called all of us.
What can be better than this?
This is so much better than that could ever be!