Satisfaction

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” NLT

The goal weight had been in my head for months. I had it posted too in several places throughout my house, just to keep me focused, reminding me constantly that everything I did either contributed or hindered my weight loss. I envisioned what it would be like to finally see that number on the scale, what I would wear to my celebration party, and what I would look like on that day. Then the day came when I finally hit that goal weight. But I wasn’t happy. What I envisioned and what I saw in the mirror just didn’t match. Oh the number on the scale was correct, and my clothing size was unbelievable, even smaller than what I thought it would be. But all I saw was sagging skin, and the person looking back at me in that mirror didn’t look very happy. Would I ever be content, I thought? I was confused and frustrated, certain something had gone wrong. 

But nothing had gone wrong. Like clockwork, and with perfect math, I hit my goal weight the exact day that I thought I would, but I didn’t look the way that I thought I would either. For over a year, I had breathed, dreamed, and lived workout and fitness. I thought about ways to help my weight loss journey progress constantly, and most all of my conversations certainly revolved around the subject. As I look back on it all, I feel sorry for my friends and family whom, I’m sure, got tired of hearing me talk about it every single day. I was so laser-focused that I would often put my relationship with God to the side, only doing the bare minimum some days of reading Scripture and prayer. As so often stated before, I asked God for help, and He answered! But my mind wasn’t always focused where it should’ve been. 

Isaiah writes vividly here in this Scripture, called the Little Apocalypse, of the new creation that will exist in the last days. The descriptions are so attractive, as he details the perfect unity and harmony in which God’s people will live, and the ways that God will reveal Himself to the world. But what catches my eye is the verse on peace. Peace is often misunderstood as merely the absence of conflict, and certainly, that’s part of peace. But peace is so much more, in fact, peace is really the aspect of well-being. God has promised that those who keep their eyes on Him (instead of themselves and their own problems) will find that perfect peace.

In life, we all face hardships and problems, as we live in a fallen world. It’s just part of life. We can’t always avoid conflict, disappointments, and setbacks, but we can set our eyes on Him. And His Word has promised that when our eyes are fixed on Him, we can have perfect peace and contentment.

As I reached my goal weight, I didn’t have peace or contentment that day. I was focused on me; my self-orchestrated visions hadn’t come to fruition. Instead of celebrating and thanking God for what He had given me, I chose to walk around in a state of disappointment and frustration. How I wish I’d fixed my eyes on Jesus instead in order to have that perfect peace and contentment, and in order to see that I was still a work in progress.

Just because an outcome may look differently than what we’d hoped doesn’t mean we should reject it. We must remember that we are always going to have areas of our lives where God is at work. We’re not finished yet!

He desires to do more in our lives than to allow us to go about life, living simply in our own circumstances. He longs to give us perfect peace and contentment if only we will accept it! Keep you eyes on Him. 

Where do you need to be more content? In what areas of your life have you seen God trying to give you peace yet you’re focused on something else? 

Encouragement for Today

Ecclesiastes 1:5-6 “The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.” NLT

Isaiah 64:8 “And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” NLT