Thursday, May 7, 2015

Let Me Introduce You to a Man Who Is All You've Ever Hoped For

Psalm 42:1 NLT, "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God."

Ladies, have you ever imagined in your head your dream man? For some, he has blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that blows you away. For others, he's macho man with a bunch of tattoos... a biker that loves Jesus. For others still, he's a cowboy.

I believe as little girls, we all imagine in our minds what our man should look like, act like, and be like. These poor guys have already had a script in our minds that they are supposed to follow before we've even met them.

Recently, I met a young man who is truly better to me than any guy has ever been to me before. He has a heart for Jesus, and he has a heart for me. The more I get to know him, the more I care about him.

Although it may sound like this devotional is going to be me sharing all about that... it actually isn't. The reason this devotional began stirring in my heart is because of a conversation I had with a lady yesterday.

I was talking with someone I've known for some time now, and I began sharing with her about how wonderful and kind this young man is that I've been getting to know. She kindly told me how happy she is for me, but then the pain in her heart was revealed through her next statement. "I wish I could find a nice man, but I haven't found one yet."

I gently asked, "Aren't you still dating that one guy?"

"Yeah," she replied with a low voice, "but now I'm just starting to mess with guys. I'm deciding to have fun with it."

This conversation, although I tried to brush it off, really didn't sit well in my heart. It was heartbreaking to see a woman who was so broken that she was dulling the pain by "just having fun now".

When I woke up this morning, God brought this lady to mind once more, and it occurred to me that she needs to be introduced to a man who is all she's ever hoped for.

That man is Jesus.

I've been the girl who's wanted a guy to fill the deepest longings of my heart before. When I was younger, I thought that if I had a boyfriend, I'd no longer be lonely. I'd have someone who'd take all my cares away. We'd live this perfect life together, and he'd never make a mistake.

This is the picture I had in my mind, but something was made apparent to me as I started growing up more. I realized that even the best guy can never fill the deepest longings of my heart.

You see, I believe that God created us with a God-shaped hole in our hearts that longs to be filled (and quite honestly needs to be filled). The problem is that sometimes we try to fill this God-shaped hole with things that were never intended to fill it. I always thought a relationship with another human being could satisfy that longing. Some think that wealth or popularity or any other thing the world has to offer will satisfy it. The truth is, though, that only God can satisfy that hole in our hearts. It was put there just for Him.

I still have days that I get my priorities out-of-whack and once more I begin trying to satisfy that God-shaped hole with things other than God. However, God has grown me a lot and at least brings it to my attention when I start doing this again.

I do long for constant connection, but obviously another human being can never give me that. People have more responsibilities than simply me. There's work, other relationships, church, hobbies, this thing called LIFE, and they can't be my God.

However, let me tell you about a man who is all I've ever hoped for. His name is Jesus.

Jesus is with me always. He never fails or abandons me. He is my provider, my protector, and my vindicator. He knows what I'm thinking. He understands me (that truly blows me away, because I don't even understand me). Jesus already has loved me with the greatest love by laying His life down for me. He will never reject me, and every tear I cry, He holds in His hands. He's my comforter, my healer, and my love.

Ladies, the perfect guy we have always dreamed of I believe we sometimes try to find here on earth in human flesh. Let me share something with you... there isn't a perfect guy here on earth in human flesh. Guess what, there isn't a perfect woman here on earth in human flesh either. If a guy is looking for a perfect girl, I'll be alone forever because let me tell you... I'm a mess. However, Jesus thought I was worth dying for.

I almost wanted to write a devotional titled "Let Your Man Off The Hook", but this title fit a little better. However, do take the advice of that title, and let your man off the hook by no longer expecting him to fill that God-shaped hole he was never meant to fill. As long as you try to do that, you'll drain the life out of him and yourself.

Contrary to the woman's story where she feels she's never met a nice guy, I feel I've met the nicest guy this side of heaven. Even though that's the case, I still need to make sure I don't try to make him fill that God-shaped hole in my heart. Only when God is filling that place will we be able to enjoy the people He's put in our lives as blessings... not as "gods".

Dear Heavenly Father,

You began stirring this devotional in my heart this morning as I thought about the conversation I shared with a lady yesterday. It was a reminder to me that only You can satisfy those deepest longings in my heart, and it's not fair for me to place those expectations on another person. Thank You, Lord, for creating me with a God-shaped hole that draws me to You. Please fill me up so much with You that I can pour Your love onto others rather than draining the life out of them in the desperate search for satisfaction. I pray this lady I shared about will meet You... the man who is all she's ever hoped for. In Jesus' Name. Amen.


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