A thought by Henry Cloud, from his book, Changes That Heal (p. 126). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
Now that is an interesting thought.
Henry says, “He has given many desires to us; others we have chosen. Both can be good. But some of our wants and desires are not good. In either case, we must begin to own them to straighten out what is good and bad, as well as to choose between the good and the better.”
He goes on, “When we do not acknowledge our desires, we cut ourselves off from who we are, and we limit our future satisfaction, our future service to God and others, our motivation, and our sanctification. God uses our desires to fulfill his purposes, as well as to satisfy himself as a giver. Think of how frustrating it must be for the biggest giver in the universe to not be able to give to one of his children because they do not realize that they desire what he has to give. God would get stuck with his gifts and lose out on the joy of giving.
“Only when we admit our desires can God work with us to meet them, delay them, encourage us to give them up, or whatever would be helpful. But we have to own up to them before he can do something with them.”
He continues, “On the one hand, God is delighted to give us good things, if they fit who we really are. A longing fulfilled can be ‘sweet to the soul’ (Prov. 13:19). Whether we be homemakers, ministers, machine workers, sports figures, or in any other position, we can take pride in ourselves and in our work (Gal. 6:4). On the other hand, God is not delighted to help us inflate our ego. God will grant our desires to further our development and his work. But it takes a real relationship between us and God to determine what is good desire and bad.”
He later says, “Owning our desires also gives us a stronger sense of where we stand on things and with other people. When we are with people who are clear about what they want, we get a sense of being with solid entities. Their personhood has definition, and their personality has edges. These edges do not have to be rough, or hurtful, but they need to be present nevertheless. If people are not definite about themselves, we have little feeling of having been with them at all.
“In addition, owning our desires and wants helps us to reach our goals in life. ‘The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on’ (Prov. 16:26). Realizing our desire motivates us toward any goal. People all through the ages have pursued their dreams and followed their desires, and this has led to a better life for all of us. The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it this way: ‘Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment’ (11:9). We are called to be aware of our desires, and at the same time to include God in the working out of our plans and goals.”
And our desire to have a personal relationship with God makes a difference in all of our other desires, doesn’t it?
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