A Core Desire

Sitting on a shelf in my room is a book entitled 8 Essentials for Living a Life of Significance. I bought this book a long time ago and while I've never read it, it is one more piece of evidence that supports my new found theory. I think that my core desire is that of being significant. Before I go on this long spiel about significance I'd like to explain what I mean by the word: an important member of the group that is desired, wanted, needed. There, now I can go on. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about why I act the way I act, and reflecting on the last nineteen years of my life. Especially high school. I thought about the goals I set for myself, the way I talk, what I do with my time and it all fits. Whether in friendships, school, church or family- I strive to be a significant member with all I am involved in.

So after realizing this about myself, I tried to figure out what I could learn from this. Here goes:

Significance cannot come from the things of this earth. Placing your significance in your achievements or abilities only leads to puffed up pride and dissatisfaction when these things fail to bring you true significance. Or when they stop being significant to others. And they eventually will. Plus it's idolatry. God has blessed me with a good amount of achievements and natural abilities but looking back, making use of them for the selfish reason of gaining significance for myself never brought any lasting sense of peace or joy. It only ended up in complacency or eventual restlessness.

So now that I'm aware of this immense longing I'm going to do my best to constantly and consciously turn to my position in Christ, as a redeemed sinner part of His family to find fulfillment. This is where my true significance lies. I am a child of God - I even get an inheritance.

What have you been searching for? Have you been looking towards the wrong thing for significance in your life? Reflect on your life and see if you can find a core desire that stands out.

"See what kind of love the father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."
- I John 3:1a (ESV)

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."
- Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)