Philippians 4:6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, make your prayers known to God.
We touch on this same set of verses again this week, but again we look at it from a different angle. This is the third week in the Making your Home a Haven study. This week we are focusing on taking our desires to the Lord. In addition to the daily candle and soft music, this week get a bouquet of flowers for your space. Think of God’s love for you each time you see the flowers.
I have talked about desires in this study before. Worldly desires are tangible things (wealth, property, or other material goods) for pleasures of the body (including sexual activity, food, or other self-indulgent pursuits). These desires aren’t bad in themselves. How we pursue them and if we constantly put them before all things, before God, then they bring us to sin. If we are working so hard to obtain money, and failing to go to Mass because we need to work, then the desire has taken over. Indulging in sexual activities because we want to, without regard to potential aftereffect of those activities, means we are giving in to flesh desire. Remember that worldly desires are because we are searching to fill some emptiness, some void in our lives.
This week we are talking about spiritual desire. Our desire for spiritual growth. That same longing to be filled, the want for love, can be filled spiritually. By finding God, and embracing his love, we can fill that void we sometimes notice in our lives. And when we learn how to fill it the right way, we will find we don’t notice it feeling empty anymore. When we learn humility, and feel a desire for holiness, wean from the wants of the world, God’s love can truly fill all the holes we think we have.
Saying no to the world is not an easy thing. It takes daily discipline to self-deny things you usually give into. But when we are saying no to the world, we can fill that time with prayer. In those moments, when we want something so bad, but begin to pray to God instead, offering up that want to him, he can begin to work within us to fill us with holiness. The desire to become closer to God means saying no to many things our world has become accustomed to in the last few decades. Instead of checking social media several times a day when you find a free moment, instead spend that moment giving thanks.
Becoming closer to Christ takes work, but so does all the good things in life. It’s not something that can just be turned on like a switch. For example, maybe first I would need to call to attention first that I must dedicate the time daily. If I can not dedicate my time, then I am not truly ready to let go of things and open my heart to God. Daily sacrifice might be the next lesson. Though social media isn’t a great “sacrifice,”giving up my time in it is one of a few things I could let go of during this preparation. I could maybe resolve to only check it twice a day, instead of throughout the day. When I see an update or notification, I should just turn to prayer.
God wants us to have a spiritual desire for him. He longs for us to draw near to him. He wants us to delight in him. We just need to make the first move to set ourselves on this path. He can put all of the help in front of us, but we have to be willing to walk away from the worldly desires and begin our path in spiritual growth. I’m praying for my growth. I’ll pray for yours as well.
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