Spirit & Body

“Let’s dream a little,” the speaker said. “If you could have anything, absolutely anything your heart desires, what would it be?” He paused and scanned the crowd.

Silence filled the packed room. Some in attendance seemed eager, pondering the question. Others shrank down in their seat, appearing too afraid to answer.

The speaker tapped on the microphone. “Come on, folks, are you with me? Wake up and use your imagination. What would it be?” When he still got no response, he continued. “More money? A new car? Bigger house? Better job? A trip around the world? What is it that would completely satisfy your soul?”

That’s a question we should all ask ourselves. What is it we’re searching for? What will it take for us to be truly content?

There’s a song that gives us the answer: Jesus. He is the only One who can completely satisfy our souls. His love, joy, and peace—along with every good and perfect gift that comes down from heaven—are worth more than anything this world has to offer. This world’s wealth and pleasures are temporary and fleeting. But the gifts Jesus offers are eternal.

There is a God-shaped void inside every single person. We can spend a lifetime searching for other things, but it’s a sacred space that only the Spirit of God Himself can fill. The good news is that when we seek Him first, above all else, He promises to give us everything we need. He even promises to give us the desires of our hearts when we delight in Him.

Don’t waste precious time on things that are temporal and meaningless. If you’re discontent and searching for satisfaction and true fulfillment, turn to Jesus. He is all you’ll ever need. That’s a promise.

“Oh, Lord, I have an hour before I go to work and five dollars that’s burning a hole in my pocket.”

In that instant, the Holy Spirit recalled a rollerball strawberry perfume with glitter in it.

“Oh, yes, Lord, but why go get the strawberry perfume I saw in a dollar store only two days before?” 

But I went anyway. As I took the strawberry perfume off the rack, I noticed a breakaway lanyard on the shelf below the perfume. Just what I needed. I work in a state school where clients with mental illnesses can be dangerous and sometimes attack staff and nurses. We have a strict rule that all lanyards must be breakaway. If we don’t, we could be strangled by a client using the lanyard.

About three weeks before, my lanyard broke. I ordered one from Amazon, but it was not a breakaway when I received it. I was frustrated that I had spent so much on the wrong kind.

I wore it every day, vowing to order a new one, but I kept forgetting. Finding this new lanyard was a serendipitous moment. Serendipitous means “finding pleasing things one had not been looking for.” The Lord’s care touched my heart. I got the perfume and the lanyard for $2.71.

My devotion before work stated, “Our place of refuge and safety is guaranteed by the presence of Jesus Christ.”  Having a proper lanyard was an issue of safety. Jesus was keeping me safe.

Pray for serendipity in your life as Jesus leads you in His care.

I gave my nephews one hundred index cards to write down what they were grateful for each day. At the end of the hundred days, I would give them one hundred dollars.

I often write a thank you list after an emotionally charged event. It's incredible how this can shift my feelings from disappointment to appreciation. Being thankful is a superpower I want to share with others.

Neuroscience reveals that gratitude rewires our brains to be happier and more content. Experiments at UCLA and UC Davis have measured the effects of appreciation using brain magnetic resonance imaging. The conclusions point to gratitude's positive impact on mental and physical health, self-worth, and relationships. Thank-you really is a magic word.

Thankfulness makes us slow down and pay attention to the important. Rather than chasing after the urgent, we gain perspective on what matters most and live accordingly.

God always looks after our best interests and knows that life will be easier if we remain thankful. He tells us this not because He needs us to be grateful but because we do.

Thankfulness is a powerful means of drawing near to God. It is fundamentally about not taking things for granted. We become more aware of God when we notice His many gifts surrounding us.

Being grateful when life gets complicated challenges us. It's easy to dwell on what is difficult instead of what we have. Focusing on the good stops me from being undone by the bad. Gratitude is progressive; it is the seed of contentment and joy.

Thankfulness redirects our attention from what is wrong in our world to what is right. It initiates satisfaction, enabling us to navigate life with faith and hope.

Thankful people are people who remember, so let's exercise our superpower by writing thank-you notes, prayers, and even index cards.

After my husband left me for another woman, I desperately needed a way to support myself. The Lord opened a door, and I became a secretary at a non-profit organization. I worked well with my first three supervisors for six years and received good annual evaluations and pay raises. Then Nancy became my boss.

At first, it appeared Nancy and I would have a good working relationship. After a while, however, she began neglecting her work and creating problems that she blamed on me.

Nancy wanted to redecorate the office and spent much time looking at paint charts and carpet samples. I tried to do my work, but Nancy expected me to look at the samples with her. She complained as she painted the walls because I wasn’t helping with the painting. Meanwhile, her work went undone.

Nancy and I were the only two employees in the office. Her supervisor was in an office in another city. Nancy lied about my work. Although I had a good working record, Nany eventually had me fired.

Nancy’s supervisor hired one of Nancy’s friends to replace me. Nancy’s betrayal hurt, but with God’s help, I let go of bitterness and forgave.

Christ also knew the pain of betrayal. His heart must have been close to breaking during the Passover meal, knowing that his friend, Judas, would soon betray him. Yet Jesus continued to love and forgive.

Betrayal is painful, but God will help us through those painful times if we permit Him. Perhaps someone has betrayed you—a supervisor, a spouse, a family member.

Be willing to follow Jesus’ example, forgive those who have betrayed you, and accept Jesus as your forever faithful friend.

Despite the promise of a New Year, hope can be elusive. Grief may linger over the death of a loved one. The rigorous demands of a job continue. Finances remain tenuous and bleak. Long-term illness may seem relentless. But there is hope.

Many biblical stories show hope. David felling Goliath with a slingshot. Pairs of animals coming to Noah to board the ark. Daniel surviving a den full of lions. Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego walking unbound and unharmed in the fiery furnace. God parting the Red Sea to make a way for the Israelites and then closing it back over the Egyptians pursuing them. The impenetrable walls crumbling with a shout at Jericho. And God holding back the flood waters of the Jordan so that His people could cross into the Promised Land on dry ground.

God gives all these stories so we can learn how powerful and faithful He is and how He provides for His people as they follow Him.

May we take this encouragement with us into the New Year. Only with God will we have lasting hope.

Pray and ask God to teach and remind you of who He is and how He works. May He be your hope in this year ahead.