When the Package on Your Doorstep Doesn’t Make You Happy…

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(This was originally posted on my instagram but I am archiving it here as well…) 

We have the world at our fingertips. Whatever we desire, we can pretty much seek it out and it can be on our front porch within two days. So we click “confirm purchase” and the anticipation begins. It’s like the adult version of counting down the days till December 25th as we await our current treasure that will be delivered on the big brown sled. Instead of checking all the hiding spots we think our parents are stashing our gifts, we obsessively check the order status, tracking each destination check point of our cardboard box’s journey. The delivery day finally comes and we can’t get outside fast enough to claim that brown box with our name on it. We rip it open in a way that is reminiscent of our 6 year old self on Christmas morning…and the joy! Oh the joy we feel with our new treasure! Until the next day…and something else captivates our heart…and that thing we thought made us feel happy and complete yesterday, doesn’t really do the trick anymore…and the cycle starts over. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀

Things don’t ever really satisfy, do they? Our joy is never meant to be fulfilled by stuff…no matter how hard we try. I love “things”…they make me pretty happy. But it’s only temporary. It’s easy to scroll this wonderful form of technology called Instagram and see image after image of beautiful items and people. Things that promise to “fix this” or “enhance that”…people who seem to live perfect lives…but can I just state the obvious of what we so often seem to forget? It’s not perfect…and it’s not true to think that if we only had this or that, then we would be content. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m mainly preaching to myself today but I know this is something we could probably all benefit from hearing: Only Jesus can satisfy. Our souls long for something to fulfill us and I have only found that in placing my hope and trust in Him. Jesus is better. Better than health, relationships, things, promotions, security…everything.
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“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11