Longing

“He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” Psalm 107:9



Yesterday I started reading a book by Elizabeth George, A Woman’s Call to Prayer. In the second chapter she quoted that verse.

It made me pause and consider the things that cause our hearts and souls to long…

My greatest heart’s desire right now is to live in close proximity to these three.





It grieves me that our daily lives are not intertwined. I can't conceive of the notion that if things stay status quo, that sweet little boy wouldn't be able to come over to his grandma and grandpa's house just for a bowl of ice cream (because he knows we always have his favorite stocked), or that we wouldn't have the privilege of taking him to the park or zoo for the afternoon while his mom and dad do whatever their hearts' desire. That I can't suggest to my daughter on a whim that we grab our cameras and go for a hike, or ask the three of them to come over for dinner and a movie... you get the gist. I don't care if the Lord moves us there, or He moves them here, or He moves us all to Timbuktu - I just yearn for us to be nearby each other.

Some long for a certain job promotion; or for recognition of a job well done and for their efforts to be rewarded. (While the center of my prayers these days is to obtain a decent job, it is not a longing of my heart and soul, it’s merely a necessity… albeit, an important one.)

Some may be lonely and yearn for companionship; a soul mate. Others perhaps have an empty nest and long for children to fill their home.

Some longings may be of a more whimsical nature. I have a few of those!

I long to photograph (nature, particularly, it seems), to paint (with acrylics and pastels) and to write (even if the only thing I ever complete is the telling of my grandmother’s story). Sometimes I think if I didn’t have a creative outlet, I’d just shrivel up. The thing is, though, I don’t want to just dabble in those things, I want to become really GOOD at them (classes, teachers and mentors will surely be required). After all, if I’m going to do a thing, I want to do it well.

The trouble is, our longings and desires can get us out of alignment... and we become so intent on fulfilling them, that we forget to seek God’s will - or at least we seek it only half-heartedly. Sometimes I find it hard to remember that His will is always for my best. Presently, God has me just standing firm in Him, waiting for His clear direction; that is, the longings haven’t changed, but the clamoring has. While I sometimes feel disappointed, I don't feel desperate because I know He is trustworthy, and I’m confident that if I’m never afforded the opportunity to hone my creative skills (what will be will be; these things take time and money, after all), and even if I never again live in the same town as my precious kids and grandkids (this one would require an extra measure of grace), I’ll survive. I may even be content, because… if “I delight myself in the Lord, He will give me the desires of my heart.” (Psalm 37:4)



Turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.
(hymn written by Helen M. Lemmel)


Whether soulful or whimsical, what do you long for? Do you need realignment?

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteous, and all these things will be added to you as well.”
(Matt. 6:33)



(These guys are at this lake every time I visit. I like that.)