I Already Have That

Today, like every other day, I was talking to my mom on the phone. I was filling her in on my day and on the inner workings of my brain. The Lord has been working on me a lot in the past few weeks.  Ever since Good Friday’s Secret Church service I have been wrecked. In the best way possible, the Lord has started reworking my thinking.

 I’m starting to see a pattern: when I think I start to get a handle on this whole gospel thing, the Lord points out where I can do better, and leads me in the way everlasting. I get wrecked for the gospel.

 I spent the past week living intentionally and more gospel focused than I have in a while. Toward the end of the week, my thoughts started drifting.  The enemy always knows exactly where to take my brain to get me off track; the same place he takes a lot of twenty-somethings mind's: singleness. 

I shared with my mom that I just wasn’t sure if I would ever be in a successful relationship that ended in marriage.  A marriage relationship was a beautiful picture of Christ’s love for the church, could be a testimony to God’s work in my life, and I wanted that. I just wasn’t sure it would happen.  In this conversation, my mom stopped me and said what I needed to hear more than anything: “You know, you already have that.”

“That’s just a human example of the even greater relationship that you already take part in.”

Perspective.  Just when I felt blinded by what this world has to offer the Lord sent the unsurpassed, earthly wisdom of my mother. 

If you hold it in your possession, you don’t necessarily need the picture.  It’s a nice way to remember it, but if we are distracted by the picture instead of letting it point to the real thing, it loses its beautiful purpose.

Why is it that I can only see what’s right in front of me? When doubts start to flood my perspective, it’s time to step back and simply say, “I already have that.” Whatever it is I wish I had, I already have it, only greater.  Lord I need: a companion, a friend, a spouse, joy, encouragement, love, etc. "You know, I already have that."

And because we serve a risen Savior, a day is coming when I will have it to the absolute fullest and I will delight only in my Lord without distraction. 

Please if you don’t already have that; get it. Call on His name and you can have all that you need. It won’t always look the way you want. Sometimes it will. Sometimes he will surprise you. But it will always be better. Serving him requires daily sacrifice, but it ends with the fulfillment of the deepest desires our hearts know. 

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:24