Being fulfilled has a comforting sound to it. Doesn’t it? I’m guessing if I polled you, my awesome readers, friends, family, and strangers on the street and asked them if they are fulfilled in their life, the responses wouldn’t be so positive. In this age of technology and information overload we seem overwhelmed, under appreciated and lacking patience with ourselves, other people and God. Not exactly the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians.
The Bible says, in Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG), “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”
I love how the verse points out we can have exuberance for life and serenity if we live God’s way. But, what does it mean to live God’s way? Below are three ways I’ve come up with as examples:
1. Spend time with Him. In order to get to know a new friend, we spend time with them. We can’t claim to know God’s way for our life if we don’t spend quality time with Him on a daily basis. Think how many friendships have fallen apart or simply disappeared because there was a lack of time and effort to spend time together. We can’t be more than simple acquaintances if we don’t dig deep with conversations. This leads to my second point.
2. Talk and listen to Him. Isn’t is great when you have someone in your life who listens to you when you’re upset? Forgive the gross reference, but I call this in my life emotional vomiting. Some poor, unsuspecting friend asks me how I’m doing and instead of getting the typical, “I’m good, how are you?” they receive the projectile information about my life spewing from my mouth. Then, I get to listen. Most of my friends are coaches, counselors, or in some professional field where their whole mission is to help people. So, they help me and grant me a different perspective on my situation. God does the same thing. He will listen to all our hurts, worries and fears without judgement. Then if we sit quietly and wait on Him, He will give us a response which in some cases is completely different from what we thought should happen. This leads me to my third way to living closer to God’s way.
3. Do what you’re being called to do. We need to trust the path God has us on. If we are actively doing steps one and two, there is no reason to believe He will not reveal how we are supposed to be living for Him and what our next steps are in any given situation. He won’t show us the future and He won’t make us feel guilty of our past no matter how ugly it is, all He asks is for us to live in the present, with Him. Many times, this requires us to step out in faith. Even if what we hear during our listening time with God makes us scratch our heads and ask why, He has a better way. I use a saying in my life, that there is usually a method to my madness, meaning I have a reason for everything I do. With God, there is always a reason He is asking us to do something. We might not know the reason this side of eternity, but we need to trust Him and know there is a greater purpose. I want to make one thing clear though, God will never ask us to do something outside of His Word. God is not going to ask you to rob a bank and give the money to charity. Always check what you’re hearing against God’s written guidance.
Trust in the fact that God has a better plan for our lives. There is only one way to feel truly fulfilled in this life and it’s to turn everything, I mean everything over to God. We will only have our dreams and desires fulfilled when we trust God and be obedient to His teachings. This is not an easy task. Even the great spiritual leaders in the Bible couldn’t do this which is why we need God. When we are left with nothing and feel like we have nowhere to turn, God fulfills our lives to overflowing with His love.
What does your life look like when it’s fulfilled? Share it in the comments below so we can encourage you.