How to make your heart happy
I often envision an old man lying on his hospital bed, knowingly approaching death. The man is looking back at his life as a whole. What does he see? Is he thinking about specific memories? Is he grinning about his successes or feeling guilty about his failures? Is he wishing he could go back in time and do things differently, or is he ready to go?
I don't know. I am not the old man yet. I am uncertain of what my thoughts will be like, even though I have a pretty good idea ;)
Whenever I think about the old man, my mind always lands at the exact same place. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is what the old man is not thinking about. Here are a few thoughts that don't cross his mind:
“I wish I had played more video games.”
“I wish I would have made time to watch Revolution every Monday night back in 2012.”
“I can't believe I didn't spend more time checking Facebook.”
First of all let me say that these are all good things. I love video games, TV, and Facebook, but the Lord has been speaking to me about the desires of my heart. I really only have a good day when I feed my heart what it is hungry for.
My heart is hungry for God. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and now nothing else will do. Nothing else can ever fulfill my longings and desires. I must abide in Him. I must spend time with Him. I must realize He is always with me. I must acknowledge how good He is. I must let Him in. I must let Him love me.
More specific desires flow from that place. Would you like to hear some of mine? Here are some desires the Lord gives me; here are some things my heart becomes hungry for:
spend time with my grandfather
express love to my family
have the best youth group in the world
keep a clean house
be on time everywhere
be nice to people
wake up early
exercise
Doesn't that sound like religion? Doesn't that sound like rules and regulations? It's not! There is a difference between feeling forced to do something and unlocking the true desires of your heart.
