Your Deepest Desire

  

While I was on sabbatical this summer, I ran across a question that encouraged me to plumb my soul. It was a simple question, “What is your deepest desire?”  The question took be back. I had never thought about that before. 

 

I know what I’m passionate about. I know my vision and mission in life. I know what my values are. I know my enneagram type, Meyers Briggs, and my Strength Finders, but do I know my deepest desire? 

 

Think about it, what is your deepest desire? Is it like making a wish as you blow out candles on your birthday cake, kind of make believe, but still a matter of the heart?

 

There’s a shadow side of your deepest desire. I just read that a 100,000 people will die this year of an overdose. You are now more likely to die of an overdose than you are of a car crash. Is your deepest desire for another hit? Do you desire rehab? Do you desire to get yourself clean? 

 

What if your deepest desire is to get revenge, to get back at someone or to get even? If you feel these things, I invite you to examine your life. Do you really want this to be what you long for?

 

To know your deepest desire speaks about your idea of hope. When we’re filled with hope we believe in the possibility of a better future. If you have hope for something or someone then you’ve found an insight to your deepest desire. 

 

I asked ChatGPT, “What are your deepest desires?” I stumped it. It had nothing. The bot doesn’t have any feelings.

 

To have desires is something unique to human beings. It’s about longing. We have a longing 

for . . . 

 

                                                …something for ourselves

                                                …someone we know

                                                ….to be in some place other than where we are now.

 

It didn’t take me long to come up with my desires. My deepest desires are for my wife and kids to have joy and meaning in their lives. I desire a good and healthy life for my grandsons where they’re able to fulfill their passions and purposes. I have desires for Columbine United Church that it might thrive as a congregation. I have desires for the staff that I work with that I can be an instrument as they realize their gifts. I have desires for my friends that we might be in mutually supportive relationships where we can have fun and enjoy each other’s company. 

 

Yes, I have desires for an end of the war in the Ukraine, world peace and the end of global warming. But there’s something about those desires that feel beyond my reach. I think a desire has to be within my grasp. It’s something I can attain, I can work towards, I can realize. 

 

What do your deepest desires say about your relationship with God? Personally, my desires are connected to my faith in God. I desire to have a relationship with God. I desire that my faith in God will bear me through hard times and help me celebrate when life is great. 

 

Looking at the question from the other side I wonder what God’s deepest desires are for you? Does God long for something for you? Are you aware of God’s desires? Is God actively working to fulfill the divine longing for you? Yes, I believe God does have a desire for you. But it’s something only you and God can navigate. Don’t let anybody tell you what God thinks you should be doing with your life. This is work that only you can do. 

 

What is your deepest desire? I wrote pages in my journal as I answered the question. I still think about it every day. Look in your heart. You’re not a bot, but a being - a human being. If you’re stuck in the shadow, please ask for help. I’ll talk with you. In the depths of your soul, you have a longing for someone, something, or to be in someplace. Dig deep and pursue your deepest desire.

 

Look for my latest podcast, the Cowboy Jesus Podcast, on Podbean and Spotify. 

 

Steve