Journal Entry ~ 12/11/18

19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:19-21

Our joy is determined by where we look for our satisfaction. Our fickle hearts get captured by some dream we imagine, and the fulfillment of that dream is where we search for our satisfaction. Our contentment becomes disrupted, and our goals become focused on that dream. It is the think we imagine most, the thing we strive for, fantasize about, and desperately want for our lives. It takes center stage in our prayers.

Our joy is tied to what we tell ourselves will make us content. Our hearts are natural dreamers.  We all imagine a better life for ourselves, we imagine a husband, or a child, we imagine a better job, a better home, a better life. There is nothing wrong with these aspirations in and of themselves - God created our heart and gave us a desire to yearn for more. The problem is our hearts are also selfish and self-focused - we want what we want when we want it. 

Our dream becomes a demand, and then an expectation and suddenly our lives become about the fulfillment of that vision. We begin to view our desire as a need, and all of our energy becomes focused on making our dream a reality. We are no longer content with the life we have, and all of our happiness is tied to achieving that goal. 

When that dream of ours stays out of our grasp, we begin to question the goodness of God. We have prayed for this one thing for so very long, and it’s just not happening. We watch it happen for other people in our lives and we grow resentful and envious and bitter. As our dreams take a deeper foothold in our heart, God is pushed out and He is no longer where we find our Hope. He is not longer the motivating factor in our lives, and He is no longer the source of our joy. 

Our treasure is found in Him alone. We need to be constantly searching our hearts for our dreams, for where we find our joy. There is grace for our fickle hearts if we choose to lean in and allow Him to show us our purpose. He is where our joy and contentment can be found. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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