Living the Christian life is a constant, daily renewal of ourselves in so many ways. One of those ways is dying to the desires of our flesh, so that we may seek and walk the path that Jesus has laid for us. Sometimes this is hard, very hard. The desires within us are not a bad thing, but it is us within the desires that is the problem. When we hold on too tightly to a desire, it can easily preoccupy our mind in a way that gives more time and energy to the desire, and less focus to God.
This is something I have to remain aware of every morning when I wake up. I have a lot of desires. Most of them good, healthy desires, but certainly all of them could control me if I didn’t daily submit them to Jesus upon waking. I have started a new habit ever morning. Either before getting out of bed, or just upon waking, I thank Jesus for giving me another day, and then I ask him this: Jesus please get me aligned and focused with you vertically before I begin interacting horizontally with the world. Please help me to filter my words, actions, and thoughts through a lens that is reflective of you. Amen.
One desire I struggle with is to live close to my family. They all live 3 states away, and this is very hard for me. Holidays are especially hard. When I think of all the get-together’s, birthdays, dinners, weddings, and much more that I miss, it makes me sad. I could really dwell on this and be consumed by my sadness and my will to be closer if I didn’t re-submit it to God every morning. It is a daily “dying to self” and believing that this is where my Heavenly Father, the one who loves me beyond all others; the one who desires what is best for me more than anyone; and the one who protects me in ways I cannot understand and no one else can, would have me be.
It is not an easy thing! It is hard for me to understand why? It is difficult to comprehend why something that feels so wrong can be right. Belief is hard work! Sometimes it is the most difficult work I do every day. If we can bathe ourselves in Jesus’s promises, however, and allow ourselves to believe in HIM, it all becomes a little easier, at least it does for me. He does not promise us we will understand, but HE does promise us that HE works all things for the good of those who love HIM.
Ecclesiastes 11:5~ As you do not know the path of the wind, or how a baby is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the maker of all things.
Romans 8:28~ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
These types of promise are the only things that keep me at peace in a world where desires of my flesh run wild. Giving my selfish needs to my loving Savior daily is the only way. It is not always the easy way, but nowhere in the Kingdom, only in the world, does it say the right way will be the easy way this side of Eden.
Whatever desires you are struggling with, and my guess is there are many because I cannot believe you are that different from me, submit them. Submit them daily, and sometimes that even means hourly. Ask Jesus to help you to be content where he has you, and fight to believe he has you there because it is where you belong in his story, not yours. I ask him every day, Jesus please help me to be content no matter what my zip code reads. It took me a long time to get to a place where I could give him that desire, still have it, but leave him in charge of it and my happiness, not me! It took me a long time, the desire is still there, but my desire to trust and believe My Father, and walk in his way, is stronger as long as I keep giving it to Him!
We all have to die to different dreams and realities every day. Sometimes they are for ourselves, our children or someone else we love. Those desires are hard to let go, and often we get up each morning and have to surrender them all over again. It is painful.