But I Want It ...

“But I want it.”I hear those words all the time. If you have kids or employees or any human interaction you probably do too. “I just want _______.” You fill in the blank. (A candy bar, a raise, a new car, a new game system, a bigger house, the new position, the toy that comes in the happy meal.)It’s normal. We all have wants. In fact, God gave us the capacity to desire, for example, companionship, love, relationship, etc. However, it’s how we handle our wants and desires that can change.My husband and I tried to purchase an old stone house. It was built in the early 1900’s. It was unique in its style like stepping into history. It was a dream for a writer of historical books. I could imagine the daily inspiration the house would have provided. However, it needed a lot of fixing up and repairs. We prayed and put an offer in on the home which was accepted. I wanted the house, but the more we prayed, the more uneasy my husband and I began to feel. Our prayers turned to, “God, if you don’t want us to have it, please make it very clear.” Let’s just say that even though the house failed the septic inspection, we still continued to try to work things out. It was only a couple days before closing when we did our final walk around, we discovered the previous owner had stripped it, the wood paneling, the moldings, even the doors off the cabinets. My husband called it quits on the spot. But even then, since I’d become so emotionally invested, part of me kept saying, “but I want it.”Thankfully, I conceded to God’s and my husband’s better judgment. Looking back, I now realize the timing for buying a fixer-upper house would have been horrible. A work opportunity arose for my husband to invest the money into an office buildout. I began to write less as a hobby and think of it more as a future career. My kids’ sports schedules overtook our weekends so our plans to fix the house only would have added undo stress and never would have come to fruition.It’s hard to see clearly God’s best for our lives when we let our fleshly desires obscure our view. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”Sometimes, I will stop myself when my prayers become a list. God, please fix this… God, please take care of that… God, I would really like…  I have to start over and delight in Him, submit to His will. I can tell you, God has never let me down. His ways are greater than our ways. The joy that comes with His best is a thousand times better than the fleeting happiness in getting what we want.Do we often treat God like a vending machine? Do we insert our prayer into the coin slot, “God, please give me… God, please make me… God, please change them…” then wait for God to spit it out, work His magic, so to speak. And then, if God doesn’t grant us what we wish, we question whether He truly is God.God knew what I wanted, but instead, he gave me what I needed, and I am much better for it.How often do we sacrifice God’s best for what we want?Don't miss a post! Sign up for my e-newsletter by clicking here: Lorri's newsletter