And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)
Lesser loves come in all shapes, sizes, and shades of color. Even in their best moments, they tend to over-promise and underdeliver because they are only a shadow of the real thing. In essence, they are facades of temporary satisfaction. Yet we are quick to entertain them because it’s harder to endure the discomfort of our need more than it is to wait on God.
Think about the lesser loves you allow in your life. You can typically trace them back to fractures or fault lines from living among imperfect people. Places where you’ve been hurt, disappointed, or flat out neglected. It’s in these places that we seek to satisfy the deep yearnings of our broken soul that only God can satisfy. As a result, we adopt attitudes, form beliefs, and allow behaviors to dictate our habits.
Truth is that our need is not our problem but an opportunity to receive a better more satisfying gift from God. He created us for relationship and has designed us to need Him. But if we can’t fill the space or it doesn’t happen quick enough we look outside God, as our source, to lesser loves.
Not surprisingly, it’s our humanness that draws us back time and again to poor coping habits and attitudes. Even so, we can work toward changing these tendencies once we identify where the fault line lies. And we can start by asking God to reveal the fracture and draw us back to Him in moments of need.
Allowing God to meet you in your place of want and fulfill your need is the only true satisfaction for a soul that is bent toward heaven. This challenges me and I hope it challenges you too. This week, notice any place you seek to be satisfied by lesser loves and allow a little room for God to show up with a more fulfilling gift.
Be bold. Be brave. Be free.
Discover & Discuss
- What lesser loves do you seek in moments of tension and temptation?
- How can you invite God into your place of need in that moment?