October 4th, 2021
At some point every day, without fail, I’ll sit down to take a breather. Between the busyness and activity, how refreshing it feels to stop and be still for a few minutes. Sometimes it’s on the couch, other times in a bedroom, and with this beautiful spring weather lately, it’s on the grass outside. And every time, without fail, my toddlers quickly find me.
It starts off cute with one climbing into my lap. Yet as soon as the other finds me, the cuteness quickly disappears. They both want the lap, but definitely NOT with the other in it. Each comes wanting ALL of my attention and affection. I try to let them both sit with me, but neither one is content. With a gentle encouragement, I’ll say “Ava you sit here and Hudson, you sit here. There’s plenty of room for the both of you.”
But no matter how I present it, the result is always unhappy kiddos. They do not want to share, they want ALL of Mama, and are not at rest until they get their hearts desire.
God’s been showing me lately how similar our lap is to our heart.
How quickly we allow God PLUS something (whatever that may be) to consume the center of our hearts. Could be comfort, worry, people pleasing, satisfying the flesh. Could be family, activities, ministry, even church. Anything that creeps in to pull our attention and gaze from Him. Anything that becomes of greater importance than He Himself.
Just as my toddlers are jealous of my attention, God is jealous for not only our attentions and affections, but our very lives. He deserves the seat of sole importance in our hearts. We were “created BY Him and FOR Him” (Colossians 1:16) and “in Him is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)
Many times, my kids will shove each other out of the way to get my entire lap. It isn’t pretty and often ends in tears. Although God won’t smack us or give us a physical punch, He will strip us of the things that pull our attention away from Him. He isn’t content until He has ALL of our heart.
Why? Is he a mean God? No, but He knows what will bring our hearts the greatest joy. A life surrendered fully and completely to Him. A heart that is singular focused with one pure and holy passion. A heart that knows ONE thing is necessary. “One thing I have desired, one thing I seek. To dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4). Nothing else can truly satisfy.
So let’s be people who push aside the things that vie for our hearts affections. Lets continually examine ourselves to make sure that He is on the throne. And let’s desire to make our Father’s heart soar with joy as we center our lives on Him and Him alone.
– Meg Herring, Co-Founder of GEM
