Longing

How many of us long for the very thing we have already? I am not talking about the baser things, though I suppose it may still be true in some cases. That is, if a child or even an adult is longing for some "toy" that they obviously do not own, we must realize that it is not the toy itself that they desire but the pleasure that can be derived from it, and this could be equally received if they appreciated the toys they already own.

But truly, how many of us yearn for what we already have? Some long for travel and adventure, forgetting that all of life is a journey of unknown excitement. Some long to know their purpose in life when perhaps their purpose is to live in Christ and let God do the rest. Some long for a mission field, when maybe their mission field is within their own home or right on their doorstep. Some long for an opportunity to disciple, to write and proclaim Truth, when a blog is already at their disposal.

A teenager may long for freedom, but he forgets that because he can breathe and move without confinement, worship freely and reject sin freely, he is free indeed. A Christian man may long for victory, but he needs to remember that Jesus Christ has already won it and has given it to him on a bloodstained platter (1 Cor. 15:57, Rom. 8:37). A Christian lady may long for someone to be close, steady, and head-over-heels in love with her, but she needs to remember that Someone already is, and He went so far as to prove it by dying for her on the cross (Eph. 2:4-6). We already have all these things, but we don't fully receive them until we realize it and accept them. And then the God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20) will do more than fulfill our dreams . . . because He truly satisfies the longing soul (Ps. 107:9). I am realizing this now maybe more than ever, not because I feel full, but because I feel empty yet KNOW I'm not.

When I was a child, I used to make wishes by blowing on eyelashes, and because I was afraid of dying, I always wished for eternal life. I did this because I thought this meant I would never die, but what I didn't realize was that eternal life meant abundant vitality in heaven after this shell has passed away. And because I was already saved, I in a sense "wasted" my wishes on something I already had. Don't make my mistake. It is pointless to long for something that is already at your fingertips.