Fulfilled
By Sarah Walker
... if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.Philippians 4:8b (ESV)
We are instructed to dwell on the praiseworthy - - the good. But do I really actively do this? I am often so hard on myself, seeing all my flaws, while ignoring or downplaying the work God is doing in my life. I make sacrifices, and then I discount them. Instead, I choose to compare myself to others, or think that somehow those sacrifices are expected of me and thus unworthy of recognition.
And then when all my negativity has depleted my resources, my joy, my coping ability...I am desperate for recognition from those that I am sacrificing myself for...desperate for those people to fill up what I allowed to be depleted...desperate for what I never went to God for.
You see, I only got to my depleted state because I did not go to God first. I did not allow His truths to permeate my heart and mind. Rather, I believed the lies of the enemy and made them the mantra in my head:
And then when all my negativity has depleted my resources, my joy, my coping ability...I am desperate for recognition from those that I am sacrificing myself for...desperate for those people to fill up what I allowed to be depleted...desperate for what I never went to God for.
You see, I only got to my depleted state because I did not go to God first. I did not allow His truths to permeate my heart and mind. Rather, I believed the lies of the enemy and made them the mantra in my head:
Taken for granted. Less than. Unvalued. Unseen. Unworthy.
Every single one of these lies is false. Each one. The only way to defeat the enemy is to declare God’s truth over my life. Not just who I am in Him, but who He is, as well. He created in me a yearning to be loved, seen, valued, acknowledged...but not by others. By Him. As tempting as it is to seek the fulfillment of my desires from other people, my yearnings can only ever truly be filled by God.
I need to go to God and ask Him to fill those places in my heart that feel empty. He is capable of fully satisfying my every need. And He is the only One who can do it. No human can fully fill all those places in my heart - - and to expect that of any person is guaranteed eventual failure. God alone satisfies. He tells me that I am:
Loved. Cherished. Valued. Seen. His.
Every day, I need to take what God says about me...meditate on it, arm myself with it, and choose to see myself through the eyes of God. Once I can root and ground myself in God’s love, I won’t be expecting myself or others to fill me in ways that only God can. In fact, I will be better able to pour out the love with which God has filled me.
GOING DEEPER:
- Consider if there are areas in your life that you are expecting other people to fill. Will you go to Jesus for your fulfillment in these areas instead?
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 16:11, Psalm 139:1, Ephesians 3:17-19
Psalm 16:11, Psalm 139:1, Ephesians 3:17-19
Sarah is married to Scott and is a full-time mom to their two young sons. She and Scott are involved in a small group focused on prayer.
