Seek And Find

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

God is trying to tell me something. Actually, maybe trying isn't the right word there- God's been telling me something. It always becomes glaringly obvious to me when a verse pops up over and over- and sometimes in the most random of places. This is the verse that keeps showing up.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. " Jeremiah 29:13

I was thinking the other day about how God has just blessed us so much- how we are living in this wonderful house, and our children are so wonderful and full of joy. As I reflect back on the last few years and all He has done for us, I am just blown away by the obvious love He has shown us. And yet, at the same time, I've also been in a bit of a place of puzzlement, because it's like, what next? What am I supposed to seek God for next? It's like the last few years we've moved from request to request, always having something dangling out there that we're talking to God about, and now... Well, now there isn't anything, to be honest. I think that because we're in this place right now, I've been spending a little less time in my Bible and a little less time in prayer.

So this past Sunday I was thinking about this, while I was sitting in church and this verse came up, and I rolled it around a few times, and then thought about where I feel I am right now, and it was like a gentle question rolled through my brain. I kind of sat there and my thought to myself was that I suppose if there isn't anything in particular to talk to God about, I could always just ask for more of Him in my life. The gentle question that was put to me then was "isn't that enough?"

Yikes. Like a kid caught in the candy jar- here I am trying to figure out what it is I am supposed to be seeking God for, when the reality is simply that I should be seeking HIM for the sake of Him.

Think about that for a minute. It makes me think of Zander. There are days where it seems like he is always after something. He comes up to me and gives me a snuggle and then puts in his request for something- whether it be more video game time or something to eat. And as the day goes on, eventually, when he comes up to me and gives me a hug, I just cut to the chase and ask him what he wants- almost exasperated with him. 9 out of 10 times, it's at that point that he says nothing. He has come up to me and given me a snuggle just because he wanted to share a moment of love with his mommy. A hug is always, always sweeter when it is given just because it's a hug.

And I think God is the same way. Oh, He loves it when we come to Him with our requests and our needs- sometimes it's those very things that open up a dialogue and deepens the relationship a bit. But think about how much more thrilled God would be if we were to approach Him and just say "Okay God, I want more of you, " -and mean it. Instead of focusing on our present situation and the things going on around us, we can focus on Him for a change, just for the sake of focusing on Him.

It seems to me that this is a win-win opportunity, and I should grab hold of it and run with it, and so I intend to do it. I had planned for today to be a busy day. I would get some housework done in the morning- and then spend time in the garden today, but of course, it's raining this morning. So I can get my housework done, but I intend to do it while I talk to God. I won't have the distraction of trying to plan the rest of my day, and getting done quickly, I can just work, and spend time with Him while I do it. My favorite way to do that is with music. I will get the MP3 player going with some awesome praise music and praise while I clean. It's been a while since I've even done that, which is funny because adding music always makes the chores go by faster.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. " Jeremiah 29:13

As I read this verse one more time before I go tackle my day, one more thing strikes me about these words from God- and that is that there is no option laid out for failure. When I seek with all my heart, I will find Him. Failure is not an option, and if my seeking doesn't seem to be bearing any fruit, then the obvious obstruction is my heart- which will need to be examined then. But I plan to succeed.

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5