Do you remember being little and getting SO excited to get the latest and greatest toy you just saw advertised? If you were like me, that meant upgrading from the Gameboy color to the Gameboy SP. Or maybe you remember your transition from Jr. High to high school… or the day you got your first car... got accepted into your dream college.. the moment you got that job promotion.. or the day you got married.
These can all be great things; they often bring people joy. But what happens after you get that person, place, or thing you’ve been waiting for? You are finally satisfied, right? …No, most likely not.
We often think getting the next thing or getting to the next step in life is going to bring us satisfaction. Yes, it might bring us satisfaction. Sooner or later though, we realize that the satisfaction does not last. It never quite feels complete, and we’re always searching for something more.
If you know me, you might know that I have switched my major once or twice, maybe even three times. At first when I switched I thought, “Alright, this is it. This degree will lead me to a career I will be satisfied with.” But then I changed my mind and continued to change my mind. I did my research and explored my options, and I finally came to the conclusion that no degree or career could ever bring me complete satisfaction. So then what? If there’s no degree or anything else in this world that will satisfy me, what’s the point? There has to be something more than school, finding your place in this world, and changing from one short-term satisfaction to the next, right?
Right. There is something more.
The majority of my life is lived in my mind. It’s a mix of life experiences, random thoughts, ideas, others’ input, and so much more that seems to always lead me to questions. Some of which can be answered, but the majority of them cannot. If you’re like me and you like to think, analyze, and sometimes overanalyze then you can probably relate.
I honestly think I would be depressed by now if I didn’t have Jesus in my life. All the big questions I have ever asked that the world cannot answer point me right back to Him. If He wasn’t there, I would be lost in this mess of a mind I so often live in.
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S. Lewis
You and I, we’re not made for this world. It’s our temporary home, a temporary home full of unfulfilling satisfaction. But that doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy life. It doesn’t mean you and I will never find our niche, make an impact, or be happy.
The thing is, we can be more than happy. With Jesus Christ and His love, we are able to experience eternal joy. We are able to overflow with this joy onto others and make the world a brighter place. It may sound funny at first, but by knowing and believing we are fulfilled in Christ rather than things of this world, we are enabled to find joy in the things of the world.
I still don’t know what I’ll do with my life down the road. Maybe I won’t even use my degree. But you know what? This and so many other things don’t really bother me. They don’t bother me because I don’t find my satisfaction or fulfillment in them. I am already satisfied; I am already fulfilled. I have Jesus.
If you’re going through life with a sense of emptiness and confusion from all the unfulfilling satisfactions of this world, I encourage you to look to Jesus. After all, what do you have to lose?
