In an age of instant gratification we’ve often lost touch with the deep desires of our heart. We settle for whatever we can get that requires the shortest wait time. And perhaps there are moments in which this is an efficient and wise use of our time. But we must also allow time to sit with our unfulfilled desires as we’re exercised by this longing.
Typically, when we’re hungry we eat, when we’re horny we pursue sexual release, and when we’re restless we quickly find something to keep us entertained and otherwise distracted. Much of this we do automatically without giving it much thought. And much of it is also natural and harmless.
But we often miss our deeper desires when we’re too quick to try to satiate ourselves. And this can leave us, for example, settling for mere junk food rather than listening to and discovering what our body actually needs. Horniness might also point to a more profound desire for ecstasy than mere tension release. Likewise, our restlessness might suggest a need for deeper connection, adventure, or meaning that mere entertainment can only pacify at best.
To be sure, it’s uncomfortable to sit with our longings. But it’s here that our souls are expanded to discover the more God has for us. And this plays out spiritually as well. Do we settle simply for the things of this world? Or do we let our aches and unfulfilled desires prepare us for the next?
Taking our desires deeper is one way to keep our eyes fixed on God who is the only one who can truly satisfy. And we risk living a shallow life when we don’t allow our desires to stretch us.
In the end, there’s no need to endure unnecessary delays. But practice sitting a bit longer with unfulfilled desires to be exercised by this longing. This allows you to discover the more God has for you.
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
