Our desire for love and belonging runs deep and we naturally look to others to fill this ache of our souls. But while much love comes through others, there remains a spot only God can ultimately fulfill.
It’s a great joy to find those who truly love and accept us – who can see beyond both our goodness and our flaws to love the deep essence of our being.
Often we look for this in marriage. But it can also come through our friends and mentors. And we can even get glimpses of it in the unconditional love of young children.
And, of course, once we find these sources we want to drink deeply as much as we can.
But the problem comes when we expect those in our life to be the ultimate source of our soul’s satisfaction. We’ve turned the good into an idol at this point – placing unrealistic demands on others.
And while others might attempt to fulfill our expectations for a while, this eventually leads to resentment and withdrawal – blocking the very love and belonging we want.
On their best day, our loved ones remain finite. And God has placed a desire for the infinite in our souls – a longing that only he can fulfill.
This does not diminish our need of love from others. But it does free us as we remember they’re only conduits of God’s love. He remains the ultimate source.
And the more we look to him for our deep fulfillment the freer we are to enjoy others without undue pressure and demands.
Receive all the love available from others. But remember, there’s a God spot that only he can fulfill.
Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash
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