Remember the times before cell phones and the internet?
We didn't have these things, and we did just fine. Sure, we imagined things could have been easier or better, but we were just fine without them. NOW, we can't imagine living a week (let alone a DAY) without using the internet or our cell phones.
We created a new need for ourselves. I'm not exempting myself from this. Ironically, my phone has been broken for 2 days and I've had to deal with it. It was hard in the beginning but now it's almost nice not to have my phone with me... (Not that I don't miss your calls and texts :)
In life, I've learned that we are content with our lives, but then we create new 'needs' in our lives; things we just can't live without.
Once we get to the point where we feel like we're incomplete without this new thing, it basically makes us unhappy more than it makes us happy.
When we feel empty inside, our radar is turned on to find something (or someone) to fill that hole. When we feel incomplete, we're always looking to complete ourselves. The problem is, we can't complete someone else unless we're already complete.
We had a woman speak about something similar in chapel last week.
The way we create problems:
Needing control
Being self-absorbed
Feeling like we're missing a piece
John 15:11 says "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."
This means our joy (not our happiness) becomes complete in JESUS, not in whatever we try to fill our emptiness with.
How to fix our emptiness:
Realize that God is in control. This doesn't mean to stop trying and be passive in life, but it also means not trying to force things to go our way.
Give ourselves away. Jesus came here to serve, and we should follow his example. Feeding our own selfish desires, if we really think about it, does not make us happy. Serving others CAN make you happy.
Realize that only God can make us whole. Looking for other things to fill the emptiness inside just creates another thing we 'need' in life and make us feel even less complete when we don't have it.
I write about this because it's been my struggle lately. (I don't want to get into the details.) I'm almost always happy, have a smile on my face, and enjoy every moment I get to experience, but a new 'need' crept up into my life. When this thing wasn't there, it would make me feel empty, even though I was perfectly content before this need was there.
I love how God makes things work out like this. This speaker, for example, spoke directly to this problem. She talked about 'the missing piece' and it felt like it was directly for me.
After a few long talks with God, things are getting better. I'm realizing, like I need to keep learning, that God is really ALL i need. Once you accept the fact that you need nothing but God, He usually gives you more than you need.
God is good :)
