Shooting for the Moon

I'm a details girl. If I'm making plans, I want to know exactly when we're meeting, what we're doing, what I need to bring, how to get there, and basically everything else that you can think of! I can get focused on the details in life too - I am constantly thinking about the classes/meetings I need to go to, things I need to study, plans with friends, and other items to check off my to-do list (rememberthemilk.com has a great online to-do list if you need one!).

While this definitely doesn't have to be a bad thing, I've noticed lately that sometimes my deep heart desires reflect my details instead of the Lord's big picture. Instead of desiring big things like glorifying the Lord and knowing Him better, my happiness starts to hinge on finishing all of my work for the day, having fun Friday night plans, and squeezing in that work out that I'd been meaning to do. It reminds me a lot of this quote by C.S. Lewis:

Indeed if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that the Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mudpies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Instead of "shooting for the moon" spiritually so to speak, I often seek after lesser things because I am convinced they will satisfy me instead. The church in Laodicea had a similar problem of lukewarm-ness in Revelation, and received the following advice:

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you may become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so that you can see. ~ Revelation 3:18

My thoughts on this as I'm wrestling with this in my own life is that I should focus on 3 things: making my desire God's "refined gold"/conforming my desire to the Lord's; developing a sensitivity to my own sin and relying on the Lord to cover my sin; and praying that the Lord would open my eyes so that I can see the forest instead of just the trees.

I wanted to leave you all with an great song by Jimmy Needham - he's an awesome super soulful Christian artist (gotta love the soul!). My prayer for all of us today is that we desire BIG THINGS in line with the Lord's plan for our lives.