I Can't Get No Satisfaction

No...I'm not going to post anything about the Rolling Stones. In fact, I'm not a fan of the Stones in any form or fashion. The title of this post comes more from a struggle that I'm having to deal with right now. It's easy for me to look at my life and see how much God has blessed me. I have a great family who loves me, friends who love me, a nice house, a nice car, a good job, and many other things. However, there is one area of my life that is not complete. It feels like there is a hole that needs to be filled. And I know I'm not alone. I think everybody has a hole that they wish they could fill. These holes can be in different areas of our lives and come in different sizes. Some holes are much larger than others and it seems like it takes forever to shovel enough dirt in there to top it off where satisfaction is finally reached.

Wouldn't it be great if all of our holes could be filled to the point that we desired nothing else? If we could finally satisfy the last need of our life. Everyone is probably at least a little familiar with the Hierarchy of Needs as presented by Abraham Maslow. The need located at the top of his hierarchy is self-actualization. Satisfying this need means you have reached the point in your life where you are doing what you feel you were created to do. You have satisfied all of the basic needs of life including safety, self esteem, love and affection in your relationships, etc. and now you are where you desire to be. Wouldn't that be great? Please let me know if you have reached this point in your life because I would love to talk to you and find out how you were able to accomplish that formidable task.

In our small group this past Sunday night, a good friend of mine helped me realize that I can reach self-actualization a lot easier and quicker than I thought was possible. We were studying 1 Thessalonians 5 and we read verses 16-18.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I have had the question "what is God's will for me?" floating around in my head for a while. My friend made an excellent observation (as she always does) that God's will for us is perfectly stated in those three verses. God's will for me is to always pray and be joyful thanking Him for what He has done for me regardless of what is going on in my life. I have read these verses many, many times before, but that was the first time they actually made sense as far as what I need to do. That is how I can get my satisfaction. That is how my holes can be filled. Sure, things that I don't like or understand are going to happen in my life, but my reaction should be as Paul wrote to the Thessalonian people:

Always be joyful

Pray continually

Thank God in all circumstances

That is God's will for all of us. So, my friends, throw down your shovels and stop breaking your back trying to fill these holes on your own. Thank God for the holes in your life and leave them to Him to be filled. Who knows, an empty hole may be the one thing that all of us need.