The Desires of Your Heart
by Max Lucado
“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalms 37:4
I recently met a twenty-year-old, just discharged from the military, and pondering his future. He bore a square jaw, a forearm tattoo, and a common question. He didn’t know what to do with the rest of his life. As we shared a flight, he told me about his uncle, a New England priest. “What a great man,” the ex-soldier sighed. “He helps kids and feeds the hungry. I’d love to make a difference like that.”
So I asked him the question of this chapter. “What were some occasions when you did something you love to do and did it quite well?”
He dismissed me at first. “Aw, what I love to do is stupid.”
“Try me,” I invited.
“Well, I love to rebuild stuff.”
“What do you mean?”
He spoke of an old coffee table he had found in a garage. Seeing its potential, he shaved off the paint, fixed the broken legs, and restored it. With great pride, he presented it to his mom.
“Tell me another time,” I prompted.
“This one is really dumb,” he discounted. “But when I worked at a butcher shop, I used to find meat on the bones others threw out. My boss loved me! I could find several pounds of product just by giving the bone a second try.”
As the plane was nosing down, I tested a possibility with him. “You love to salvage stuff. You salvage furniture, salvage meat. God gave you the ability to find a treasure in someone else’s trash.”
My idea surprised him. “God? God did that?”
“Yes, God. Your ability to restore a table is every bit as holy as your uncle’s ability to restore a life.” You would have thought he’d just been handed a newborn baby. As my words sank in, the tough soldier teared up.
See your desires as gifts to heed rather than longings to suppress, and you’ll feel the same joy.
Reflect on your life. What have you always done well and loved to do?
From Cure for the Common Life
Copyright 2006, Max Lucado