About three weeks ago, I was hanging out in our Woman’s Minister’s office down the hall and while admiring her book collection, I found a book that sparked my eye. The List. I pulled it off the shelf and read the back. The book is really geared toward young singles, but I originally thought it would be a good read for me to relate with girls in the college group (we are volunteer leaders). However, after the first few pages, I realized that I was so drawn to the book, because it described me and was applicable to all women (& maybe even men).
Like I said, the back cover was originally what drew me in, it said something like – what happens when you don’t get everything on your “list” or what happens when you do, but your not satisfied. After the first 30 pages, my world was rocked and I can’t wait to share all my thoughts with you.
Not sure if guys could ever relate to this, but girls tend to have “lists”. Lists in what they want in a husband, what they want in life, etc… go to college, start a career, get married, buy a big “Pinterest Perfect” house, have beautiful kids… yada yada yada. So what happens when your 25 and still single, or 30 with no kids? What happens when you get married, have the perfect job, but still feel like something is missing. You naturally crawl into bed with a tub of ice cream, watch the notebook, and fall into depression. I’m kidding, lol. But seriously, how do we cope? How do we combat this in our lives?
The answer is simple but complicated. Jesus. We were created in His image with the purpose of glorifying Him. Then, the serpent got in Eves ear and it was all over. She disobeyed God and sought her own glory instead of God’s. She heard the serpent promise power, prestige, everything on her “list” and she fell for it. She sought out things, instead of the creator of all.
In reality, we are faced with the same decision Eve was every day. Are we going to glorify ourselves or are we going to glorify God. Is He enough? Or are we falling for satans trap that we need things, and people or money or status to satisfy us? I think if we are honest, most days, we are falling for the trap. We think those adorable Tory Burch boots, or that perfect Kate Spade handbag are going to do the trick. We think our husabnds will sastisfy us, only to find out that they are far from perfect.
Ultimately, all of these things will let us down. If we are putting our hope in “stuff” or “people”, we are bound to fail. In order for our hope to be real and satifying, we must place it in something pure, something solid. Biblical Hope – it is greater than any emotion and more satisfying than any sale at Nordsrom, it anchors our soul. We are so quick to trust in other things instead of leaning on God.
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack” -Psalm 23
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints. – Ephesians 1:18
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. – Psalm 33:20-22
I hope this is as thought-provoking for you as it is for me. I feel like the Lord has really been teaching me a lot about this the past few weeks, so I just wanted to share. I am only on page 77..lol so I am sure there will be another post on this topic coming soon as I read more and thoughts come to mind. But, for today, with His help, I pray that I am choosing to glorify Him.
Marquis Clarke
Yes! This is very true. The lists will let us down, they won’t ever be enough to fulfill us. Only Christ can!
Marquis Clarke
Amen, sista! That’s so awesome this book caught your eye so you could share these great reminders! I’m definitely a list maker, and the majority of items on my list are never accomplished. I could probably add “will not accomplish all of these items” to the list, just to prepare myself. Thankfully, the Lord operates with a system that is much better than my list making! 🙂
Marquis Clarke
Wow! This is lovely. And so true. I struggle with this at times as I am sure all women do. I have to constantly remind myself to trust God and be fulfilled with Christ because he is all I need and he will take care of me.
Marquis Clarke
This is great!! I wish I had enough motivation to stick with a regimen to lose weight. But, I cant seem to for some reason.
Marquis Clarke
Definitely applicable to married life as well! Sometimes I feel like we need to buy a house and start having kids by 25. I do think guys have some sort of “list.” I remember my husband repenting to me because he felt like he had placed on me this mold that I wasn’t ever going to fit because of who I am.
Marquis Clarke
This makes me really want to read that book. I am a total Type A planner and I love crossing things off but I know that not everything is within my power.
Marquis Clarke
What a beautiful post! I really hope that women of all ages can see that Jesus should always be at the top of their lists!
Marquis Clarke
I love this! This is exactly what I needed to read today…hit home hard. Thank you for posting.
Marquis Clarke
This was an awesome post! As a guy, I can definitely tell you we also have lists…but they are a bit boring and filled with boring stuff stuff. Nevertheless, this was a great post! Definitely something I needed to read. Kolbi | Life With Kolbi
Marquis Clarke
Wow, I love that. I never thought about us being in the same position as Eve every day. It really puts a perspective on things. Thanks for sharing!
Marquis Clarke
I think I’m going to have to read this book.
Marquis Clarke
This is exactly what I needed to hear today lovely. You hit the nail on the head and said it perfectly. Sometimes we need to step out of the ‘I want’ & ‘I need’ and get back to what the creator’s purpose and wants for my life are. I so needed this reminder 🙂 Thanks dear!
Marquis Clarke
I would love to read this book. Who wrote it?