To Be Desired

"Please, Mommy...."

"Pleeeeease!"

The high pitched tone of my then-7-year-old voice would not be quieted. I had looked at, drooled over and even memorized parts of the American Girl magazine during the greater portion of my young life. If I was expected to live another day without owning one of those dolls, I was convinced that I wouldn't even survive until lunchtime. 

My determination finally won the battle and I convinced my parents to order the doll. But there was a catch: I would have to pay the entire cost. Mom retrieved a thick white envelope from the safety of her dresser drawer, and I eagerly pulled it's contents out onto the bed. A detailed tally of the crumpled bills showed that I had saved up just enough money to make the long awaited purchase. No matter that I would be spending every penny I had earned - I was getting an American Girl doll! And oh what a happy day it was when Kirsten arrived! I can still remember the excitement I felt when taking her out of the box and hurrying over to a friend's house to show off my treasure.

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The days of playing with dolls are far behind me, but I think about Kirsten every so often and marvel at how greatly I desired to have her as my own. It seems a little silly now to have been so desperate for such a trivial thing, but the desire within my young heart was such as it nearly consumed my every thought. Read what Mr. Webster has to say about the matter:

def. desire: to have a longing for; to stress the strength 

of feeling; to imply strong intention or aim.

If asked, I'm sure that you could tell your own story about something you have shared a similar desire for. But today I ask this question: What does GOD desire?

Think about it. Is there really anything that God could want? After all, He is God! He created the entire world, so couldn't He just make something else if He wanted it? Of course He can, but the truth is that God has already created what He desires most - YOU! And His desire for you isn't just a temporary feeling - He desires you with a fervent passion. So great is His desire for all people that when sin appeared and threatened to sever our relationship with Him, that He came to earth himself to be our Salvation!

And yet even with His great longing for us, He cannot have us until we decide to surrender to Him. I don't know about you, but I feel very humbled knowing that God Almighty wants to have a personal relationship with me. It makes me want to get rid of all the uncleanness in my heart and become filled with a beauty like the one David wrote about in the Psalms.

 "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; 

forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; 

So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty, 

for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him." 

Psalm 45:10,11

What does the King see when He looks at you? What does He see when He looks at me? The world we live in gives us plenty of opportunity to develop our own agendas and promote an outward attraction. Are we careful to engage our time in activities that cultivate a beauty within our hearts?

I challenge you to go about today with the purpose to be filled with a heavenly beauty. Turn from how you lived yesterday. Today, trade your sorrow for His joy; your worries for His peace; your complaints for His praise. 

Live your life as one that attracts the desire of the King.