(If you missed Part 1 of “Made Me”, click here!)
A second thing we didn’t have a choice in when we were created was having a need and a longing for God.
As a protective measure, He made us with a space in us that can only be filled by Him (John 17:24-26). Right in the middle of it is a tug, an ache. Ingenious. This was to make sure that nothing else will satisfy us; to protect us from settling for less than His love. Have you felt that tug in you? That thing that says “I want and need more.” Thankfully we will always have that tug in us, pulling us toward Him to continue the relationship that started even before He made you and me.
Do you ever remember causing yourself to need or long for something – to ache for something? I need and want food and water. I didn’t make my body need or want that. I’m blessed that I can get food and water every day, but even when I’ve got them, they don’t satisfy me for long. I have a built in ache or drive to find….. to find what?
Up to this moment, it hasn’t been fixed by stuff or people here on earth. I’ve tried many times to fix it that way, to fill it that way, with people, food and drink, hobbies, ideas etc.
No go.
One moment I’ll think that I feel “full,” but it doesn’t last. After every accomplishment, I need another accomplishment.
A while back, there was a guy named Augustine who was less than saintly and he was messing with this same idea. After living the wild life, he realized the adventures he had in his life didn’t satisfy him. He always needed more; more sex, more adventures, more battles. When he was injured and stuck in bed at one point, with limited reading options, he spent time reading scripture and “trying on God.” He noticed that the thrill or peace he experienced in talking with God (prayer) lasted! God fit when nothing else did.
Be aware though that sometimes the defeat of not being able to appease the tug or fill the hole can cause the opposite reaction – to not reach for something to satisfy me but to withdraw instead; to get lost in defeat or despair. These thoughts can sound like, “Why can’t I fill this? What’s wrong with me? I’m ineffective and less than I should be!”
The only thing that fills that hole, fits that hole, is God; letting Jesus hang out with me all day, noticing the Holy Spirit showing up. The space in me that only God fits has become a comforting thing for me. I know that I do absolutely have a place for Him and I don’t have to design it or change something to get what I need. I know this not because I learned it as a fact, but because, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, I’ve experienced it. I have felt full.
He proved to me that He made me to be with Him.
You may have felt or known this too.
If not, stick with us. We are all about helping people to recognize God and let Him in; to “find full” and be full more often.