Are You Satisfied?

What does it mean to be satisfied? What does it mean for an artist to look at his drawing and say “Yes , that’s a masterpiece.” Or, for a saleswoman to look at her monthly sales result and tap herself on the back, and say “Well Done”.

I remember a couple of years ago when I was learning to drive. My main goal was to make sure I was driving before the end of the summer. Nothing brought me greater satisfaction than the idea that I would soon be legally able to drive my own car. I had lessons upon lessons making sure I was ready for my final test. The more you put your heart into something, the more vulnerable you are towards that thing. Little did I know that practising for the test was a whole different level compared to doing the actual driving exam. It took me 3 attempts (I know) before I passed my test. I finally achieved what I wanted for such a long time. Although it took me until the end of October (and not the end of summer as I’d hoped), I was proud of what I’d achieved. But did this give me the satisfaction I thought I’d have once I passed my test? No it didn’t. A couple of weeks later, I was out again seeking to find what would bring me the greatest satisfaction in my heart. Chasing the wind of this life.

There is a never ending desire in our generation to seek more, want more and have more to be satisfied. And most of the time this is done at the expense of knowing who Christ is. We want to be happy in life by being fully satisfied at what we do. For some of us, our satisfaction depends on “happenings.” When things are looking great, we feel good, accomplished and fulfilled. However, when things start to look slightly different from before or when we go through trials and unforeseen seasons, we feel unfulfilled, unhappy and dissatisfied. For others from a young age, we are taught to get the best grades we can in order to get into the best college or university so that the best job will be made available to us upon graduation. All this with the aim of living a life that is fully satisfying. But with all of this, we are still left unsatisfied and discontent.

Jesus, Our Ultimate Satisfaction

God didn’t create us to float with the changes of the wind in this world. We were created to be strong; to be able to stand on the firm foundation that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:19). When I got my licence to drive, I thought to myself this would make me a happier person. It was true; I was happier but only for a while. The temporary satisfaction I gained wasn’t able to fill the true satisfaction my heart desired.

When we focus our satisfaction on our possessions (earthly things) and being happy, we run the risk on running ourselves down and being left disappointed; because true satisfaction doesn’t come from how much money we have or how much happiness our jobs and achievements give us. True satisfaction comes from the joy and peace we receive from knowing Christ.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul spoke a lot about Joy and being truly happy and content in knowing Jesus. He writes “always be full of joy in the Lord and rejoice always in Him” (Philippians 4vs4). When we are joyful in the Lord, we proclaim that our true happiness and satisfaction does not come from the world but from the one true source which is JESUS. For He is the source of all things good (1 Corinthians 8:6). And when we delight in knowing Jesus, we bring glory to His name. We proclaim to the world that only through Jesus can we be fully satisfied. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” – John Piper.

Prayer.

God help us to seek You more, know You more and want You more. Help us to find fullness of joy in knowing Christ Jesus Your Son. Let our hearts be dedicated to living a life completely for You and for Your Glory. Amen.

Proclamation.

But what former things I had that might have been gains to me, I now consider them worthless for Christ sake. Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared with the priceless gain of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may know Christ and become more like Him  (Philippians 3:7-9).