What does God really want?

What does God want from us, when all is said and done?  Does He want our labor?  Our time?  If He were to say to me, "Jim, all I really want and need from you is _________."  What would that be?  There are undoubtedly a hundred ways to answer that question, but since this is MY blog, I'll answer it this way:  The longer I enjoy a relationship with God, the more convinced I am that all God really wants - which is also the most difficult thing for us to give Him - is our HEART.  For once He has our heart, He has all of us.  Think about it:  once He truly has my heart, then He has my ears, my feet, my hands - all of me.  Once He has my heart, He can direct all of the rest of me very easily.  If He does not own my heart fully, that is what He will seek and search for until He has it.

We worry about what we will eat, or drink, or wear.  We are concerned about where we will work, or how long we'll be able to keep our job.  We worry about keeping the roof over our heads, and providing the very best things for our families.  When it really comes down to it, our lives are governed far more by fear than by faith.  The decisions we make are often the offspring of our own insecurities and doubts, rather than being born and inspired by the voice of our Shepherd who has, after all, already promised to take care of us and to provide for all our needs.  "So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear'?  For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But [continually] seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided."  This has to be one of the most radical statements of Jesus in all of Scripture.  What He's saying - in my understanding - is that we live our lives filled with fear and anxiety about the same things the world worries about.  But there is another way.  There is a place - a state of mind - where we can find real, honest-to-goodness REST.  From the world's point of view nothing may have changed in our circumstances, but everything has changed in our hearts.  "Come to me, all you who are weary and heaven-laden, and I will give you rest."  God's not talking about a spiritual nap here.  He's talking about us living in a continual state of being at peace, where our hearts are always quiet and at rest.

One of my favorite movies of all time is "Signs".  I know, it's all about Aliens invading the earth. . . or is it?  There is a very deep message flowing under all the scary scenes and unexpected surprises.  I don't know anything about the spiritual background of the Director Shymalan, but I know that God spoke to me (and to my brother John) in a deep way in one particular scene.  Mel Gibson and his family have taken final refuge in the basement, fully expecting that the aliens would find their way in eventually and kill or abduct them.  Gibson's son has asthma, and his medication is (of course) upstairs where the aliens are - out of reach.  As his son's fears start to overwhelm him, he begins gasping for breath in a full-blown asthma attack.  Having no other recourse, Mel takes him in his lap with his arms around him and says to his panicking son - in a quiet, confident voice - "breathe with me.  Feel my breath going in and out.  You can relax.  Breathe with me... breathe with me... breathe with me."  As his son feels Mel chest going up and down, and hears His calm voice, and feels his strong arms - he starts to relax, and his breathing slows down, and he slowly recovers from the attack and falls asleep.  John and I love that scene because it's a wonderful picture of how God longs for us to trust Him.  When we panic, He takes us in His strong arms and whispers in our ear... "Breathe with me... breathe with me... breathe with me."

He never promises that life won't be scary, or that we'll be spared every hard or painful trial.  He just wants to know if He has our heart.  If He does, then He knows we'll make it through.