Joy of life seems to me to arise from a sense of being where one belongs…. All the discontented people I know are trying sedulously to be something they are not, to do something they cannot do. Contentment, and indeed usefulness, comes as the infallible result of great acceptances, great humilities—of not trying to make ourselves this or that (to conform to some dramatized version of ourselves), but of surrendering ourselves to the fullness of life—of letting life flow through us.
~David Grayson (1870-1946)
Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you… “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet…
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
~ Jesus, King of The Universe, in Matthew 5
Oh beloved, it is true.
We are hungry beyond any ability to feed ourselves.
Everything within us has a ravenous appetite.
Each emotion seems to want to express itself to the nth.
Each desire never seems to be fulfilled.
Each step forward in a relationship leaves us wanting more.
Each accomplishment begs for another.
Each dollar is one short of our desire.
It is as if we have, within us, a bottomless abyss of desire.
We do. There is within us, a limitless need. We were created by G_d, in Their image. And, while G_d is totally satisfied, we are not. But the reason is really quite simple.
G_d is satisfied, because He knows what is needed for this to happen. What is needed is for Him to be in relationship with an infinite Being. And, G_d has ever been in this relationship. The Triune nature of Himself has always afforded this infinite budget of both need and filling.
But, back to our issue.
The answer is the same.
Can we see it?
Infinite has some incredible advantages.
Aseity is never hungry.
Fullness of Joy is full.
Forever never runs out of time.
Triunity is ever satisfied in Their chesedic relationship.
Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence has no desire unmet.
And all of this, is moving towards us.
All we have to do, is to receive it. For, if we try to grasp after it; if we try to attain it on our own, we will not. The Kingdom is like this. The Kingdom is completely backwards from our way of thinking… And actually, it is that our thinking is backwards to the reality of the infinite.
So, are you feeling unsatisfied? You will never be able to get what you need. However, beloved, you can receive what you need if you are willing. However, this does require that you give up trying. It does require that you stop thrashing about, and grabbing everything in sight. It does require that you put only One Person in your sight – and to receive.
Tonight is your night. Time to be satisfied.
In essence, there is only one thing God asks of us—that we be men and women of prayer, people who live close to God, people for whom God is everything and for whom God is enough. That is the root of peace. We have that peace when the gracious God is all we seek. When we start seeking something besides Him, we lose it. As Merton said in the last public address before his death, “That is his call to us—simply to be people who are content to live close to him and to renew the kind of life in which the closeness is felt and experienced.
~ Brennan Manning
