Lord, you know all my desires and deepest longings. My tears are liquid words and you can read them all.
Psalm 38:9
You satisfy my every desire with good things. You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!
Psalm 103:5
I wanted a motorcycle for the longest time.
Why?
In times past, I’d have quickly responded, “So I can get away, feel the wind, see the country.”
Okay. Is that all?
“Well . . . so I can wear a cool helmet and have others admire the bike, and therefore, me.”
Ah! Now we’re getting to why. The question invites me to clarify what a motorcycle will allow me to do or be.
For me, having a motorcycle wasn’t really about getting away or enjoying the scenery. My motive was more about gaining admiration. I believed that if I had a motorcycle, people would think I was cool.
Asking the deeper questions will often help us clarify what is the means to an end (e.g., the motorcycle) and what is the end itself (solitude, being in creation, feeling alive or being seen, liked, and admired).
So - what about you? If you could ask Jesus to help you with one thing, what would it be? Overcoming a challenge? Experiencing relief from a particular stressor? Seeing success or restoration in some area of your life?
Push into that thing’s essence. Ask Jesus what lies behind the desire. Why do you feel it? Peel back the layers until there are none left to peel. At that point, you’ve arrived at the essence of the desire.
An excerpt from The Heart of a Warrior Journal Workbook.
