Wholly Devoted

I walk through the mall, or in the supermarket, or on a crowded street, all the while searching through a sea of faces, and searching for one person to make eye contact with me. If I find eyes to connect with, I smile, and am blessed by the occasional grin or greeting. In a world where everything is at our fingertips, our society is wading through the mindless hurry, and drowning in thousands of messages shared daily. We struggle to connect one-to-one, but instead cling to the false promise that we will find joy and success if we: attain more, improve what we are doing, become smarter, more beautiful, more slender, wealthier, more famous,  have a more successful portfolio for retirement, are more influential… Failing to meet the bar of success at each new level attained, we finally ask, “What is it worth?" At what cost do we live our lives seeking the things of the world? 

 The television and the tabloids are filled with images of who is successful in our society. The model defined as gorgeous, but who is suffering from an eating disorder. She is devoted, succeeding, and withering away. The musician defined as talented, earning millions, and pictured as the life of the party. He is devoted, excelling, and keeping up with the demands of the industry with a drug addiction. Each is devoted to a cause, a profession, a passion. And just like us, each one holds his head up with pride, dedication, and the hope that they will finally be enough. Each yearning to reach the bar of success, and at the end, be happy. The evidence of our culture’s lack of hope is all around us. We try to discover hope in the many things the world has to offer. These offerings may bring temporary enjoyment, but in the end they will come up empty.

 As I reflect on my devotions in life, where my time, energy, money, and talents are spent, I am left with a lingering question. What am I placing my hope in? Is my hope found in the false promises of this world, or in the devotion to something much greater?

In Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, Solomon wrote: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind“. Solomon had accumulated great wealth, power, and wisdom; everything the world had to offer, yet he came to hate all that he lived for.

Solomon could be compared to Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, billionaires who spent the first chapter of their lives accumulating wealth. After years of accumulating wealth and luxury, they have realized it is worth little, and now are committed to giving it away. Devotion.

 As I compare a life which is lived pursuing the things of this world, to that which is lived devoted to God, seeking to know Him more and to glorify Him, I see the devoted life brings purpose and joy. I found this true in my own life. I tried to find significance and value in accomplishments, education, and relationships, but instead grew more empty. The things of this world could not fill the void which was within me. They were only counterfeit ways in which I tried to meet my unmet needs. 

After years of drowning in the sea of mixed messages, I found salvation through Jesus Christ. I exchanged the temporary fixes of this world for Him. I received His love, forgiveness, and His Holy Spirit to live in me eternally. My heart began to delight in living devoted to Him.

 As we submit our broken lives, our dreams, and our humble offerings to Him, He transforms us from the inside out. He accomplishes more through us in His power than we could ever dream or ask for on our own; and there is nothing better, more purposeful, or more fulfilling than to be used by God!

The world sparkles with glamour, and although false, it has the ability to pull our focus and devotion towards it. I have found that as followers of Christ, we can come against what the culture says is ok and what is not ok, through the promises found in the Bible. I have found that I need to spend time in Bible study and prayer daily. It is as important as needing air to breathe and water to sustain life! I learned that for me to stay focused, I need to turn off the phone and to journal what is on my mind and my prayers to Him, thereby combating distractions. Left to myself, I am capable of being drawn away.

 To live a life devoted to Jesus, is true life. As I look into the faces in a crowd, I wish to share this joy and life with them through a smile. Maybe one day someone will stop me and ask me why I smile, and the reason for my hope. I will be ready to share with them my answer.  (1Peter 3:15)