A few days ago my sister-in-law and I were at an outdoor restaurant enjoying a delicious lunch and marvelously warm weather in celebration of the birth of her first granddaughter. Halfway through our meal I glanced up at the umbrella we were seated under and was unexpectedly stirred by what I saw written there on the canvas. It has since been speaking to me, and now hopefully through me to you, my friends….and it has to do with thirst.
Years ago I heard a somewhat peculiar statement that I’ve since found to be not only true but a powerful precautionary warning.
What you do sets your desire.
I didn’t understand this at first or even believe it once I considered its meaning, but eventually experience began to prove its validity. As I explain, you might be able to relate.
Women, more often than not we are creatures who love to shop, correct? Additionally, don’t you find that after a particularly enjoyable day of shopping you find yourself with a strong desire to go at it again on the morrow? Men, maybe your thing is golf, for instance. A good day on the course sparks the urge to revisit the game as soon as possible. Actually, this phenomenon can occur with many things…all sorts of recreation, maybe even work, eating, television, playing that favorite game on your phone, and can anyone say “Facebook”?! Once you do it you just want to do it again. The more you do it, the more you desire it! So, which comes first…the desire or the doing? My experience has proven that, truly, the doing is what ignites my desire. And that is precisely what thirst is….it is simply ”having a strong desire for something”.
So, in light of this, let me ask you something. Are you finding yourself lacking motivation in your pursuit of God? Is your desire dwindling? Are you still thirsty?
If you’re finding that your enthusiasm for the things of God has waned…don’t be alarmed and don’t be ashamed. You’ve most likely gotten distracted and busy “doing” other things that have caused your desire to diminish. I encourage you to use this seldom-heard truth to reset that desire. I’ve found that the more I read the Word, the more I desire to read it. The more I pray, the more likely I am to return to my knees.
Don’t wait for the desire. Create your desire. Your desire will follow your doing. Let’s not let lethargy or misplaced activities cause us to lose our hunger and thirst for the things of God.
How do we stay thirsty? Not by waiting for desire to determine what we do, but by determining what we do and thus seeing our desire, our thirst increase as a result of our doing.
For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. Psalms 107:9
Really good article, Lisa! I find this to be very true when I run. When I’ve finished a good run, all I can think about is how good I feel and how I want to go do it again.
Thanks, Becky. We all have experienced evidence of this truth in the “natural” areas of our lives. Let’s use it to our advantage and advancement in the “spiritual”. And speaking of running…doesn’t the concept remind you of Nike’s “Just Do It” ? I say…if we’re going to do things that lead to getting addicted to something…let it be to God first!