Recently, I’ve been focusing a lot (perhaps too much) on the unsatisfied longings deep in my soul—on the people and ambitions that aren’t enough for me. There has been an ache of unwantedness in my soul as well. This ache is there because I’ve placed unrealistic expectations on certain individuals in my life, from close friends to guys who don’t even know me.
Even though I wrote a post about unfulfilled longings recently, I deleted it because I was scared. I thought I didn’t have enough Bible verses to back up my main points. I feared the errancy in my words. So I made the post disappear.
Not surprisingly, my unsatisfied longings didn’t disappear. The deep-in-my-soul aches and pains persisted. But so did He.
The Truth He Spoke to Me
This morning, as I was about to read a Psalm and journal a prayer, I felt like God was reminding me of important truths that I so desperately needed. With the dissatisfaction that I’ve been struggling with, He reminded me of what is real. While our unfulfilled longings are real, so is His plan to fully satisfy us.
“If Maggie* could satisfy you, then you wouldn’t need Me or My perfect home for you. You would be satisfied here and now.”
“If Sean* could satisfy you, then you wouldn’t need Me or My perfect home for you. You would be satisfied here and now.”
“If your body image could satisfy you, then you wouldn’t need Me or My perfect home for you. You would be satisfied here and now.”
“If chasing your writing dreams could satisfy you, then you wouldn’t need Me or My perfect home for you. You would be satisfied here and now.”
“And I want you to live in My perfect home, Grace.”
Why We Want to Live There Now
This is why longing is so hard. This is why life is so hard. Because we can’t live in His perfect home for us quite yet.
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV)
Because God designed us for heaven, we simply can’t expect things outside of heaven to fulfill us—whether it is a best friend, a husband, children, a career, a clothing size, or a financial status. If anything besides Christ could satisfy our deepest longings, we wouldn’t need Him. We would be content to stay on this earth, rather than desiring to be in heaven with Him.
It’s our job to stop expecting the Maggies, the Seans, the body image, and the dream-chasing to make us feel complete. With those people and those things (and with everything else), we’ll never be filled. I’m sure you’ve heard this elevator pitch before. But have you heard that the unfulfillment is purposeful?
I never feel satisfied with Maggie’s attention, no matter how many sweet texts she sends me. I never feel like I’m enough for Sean, no matter how I fix my hair in the morning. I never feel acceptance of my current size, no matter how long I work out. I never feel like I’ve done enough writing, no matter how many posts I write.
When I try to find satisfaction in people and things, all I feel is the emptiness in my soul that screams, “More, more, more!” And we were made for more, dear friends. In fact, we were made for eternity with our all-satisfying, all-fulfilling, all-completing Savior. He won’t leave you longing for more.
In the perfect home God created us for, there will be no unsatisfied longings. The ache of loneliness you feel when your best friend ignores you will vanish. The broken heart you experience when your long-time boyfriend breaks up with you will be forgotten. The discouragement you carry every day after you look in the mirror will disappear. The exhaustion you feel when you check everything off your to-do list and still can’t rest will be no more.
You won’t be perfectly satisfied with anyone or anything in this world, so consider lowering your expectations about them. But increase your expectations about Jesus—because He will perfectly satisfy.
*Names have been changed.
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