It was not the feeling of completeness I so needed, but the feeling of not being empty. —Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated
I know something your credit card company won’t tell you: In Christ, you lack nothing.
You don’t need to buy that item. You have Jesus.
You don’t need to upgrade and go into debt. You have Jesus.
You don’t need to keep up with the Joneses. You have Jesus.
When you find your satisfaction in Him, guess what? The lie won’t work. The lie loses its power in the presence of Christ.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life … (2 Peter 1:3)
Again, Colossians tells us, “and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.” (2:10)
You don’t need it. Repeat after me: “I don’t need it.”
If the fear of missing out creates an appetite for more, then reflection upon your identity in Christ reminds you of your fullness.
Made complete.
Needing nothing else to nourish us.
Not empty, not wanting.
It’s amazing because this fullness has happened to us. Our completion is a gift from God. We are passive participants in our completion. We have the opportunity to relish in the gift and praise Him that we lack nothing.
Yet so many believers continue to pursue that which they don’t have. And this pursuit—this unnecessary pursuit—requires tremendous energy.
More time is spent trying to fill a sense of emptiness than embracing completion.
So what if you reversed the trend? What would your day look like if you believed you’d been given everything you need for life?
How would you spend your time? How would you spend your money?
Counselor, I invite You into my everyday routine. Will You plan my week? Will You guide me as I work through my budget? Fill me to overflowing so my life spills into the lives around me. May my only debt be to love. Amen.