This is my cupcake story.
My friend brought home a yummy cupcake. It was chocolate with white frosting.
As I unwrapped the cupcake and prepared to eat it, I heard God say, "I want you to enjoy every bite of that cupcake."
I thought, "I am shocked that God cares about this cupcake, but I will do what He says." So I enjoyed every bite of the cupcake.
As I finished it God said, "If you don't let yourself desire anything, then how can I give you the desires of your heart?"
This was profound. And then I could see why at that moment the God of the universe took a sudden interest in my chocolate cupcake.
You see, God says that we don't have because we don't ask. I am quite good (probably like most of us) at crucifying the desires of my heart. Whether it is from the pervasively WRONG doctrine in the church that says our hearts are evil and only desire things of the flesh that lead us to sin, or my own practicality that does not like to get my hopes up for things that could lead to disappointment, I do not typically allow myself to dream, or even want at times. I go along with life content in what I can see and I don't hope for much.
Once someone prophesied over me that I sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary, but I don't ask him for anything.
We think we are pleasing God by our small aspirations and we label it contentment. We think God approves of our desire to restrict our hearts from dreaming and we call it self-discipline.
Well I now know that this does NOT please God and what pleases Him is our wild abandonment to dream up ludicrous things that only He could pull off. He wants us to have such an intimate place of friendship with Him that we ask for things that actually make us HAPPY and not just for our basic needs to be met.
I mean, what parent would be pleased with a child who says the following in response to the question, "Son/Daughter, what would you like for your birthday?"
"Mommy and Daddy, I would like for you to feed me, and put clothes on me- and maybe if I am really lucky, then I would like you to give me a bath."
They would look at that child horrified that their child does not know they are loved. They would feel like complete failures as parents.
What if the child asks for a monkey, or even further, an entire zoo? They are not going to give the child the monkey or the zoo, but maybe the child gets to go visit the monkeys and the zoo. Maybe the child gets a stuffed monkey or a toy zoo. But for goodness sake, even if the child does not get exactly what she asks for, they are going to be pleased in the grand aspirations of their child and do their best to fulfill her desires!
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Let yourself DESIRE. Ask. Hope. I dare you!
I thank God that He is a good Daddy! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeletea couple nights ago I was really dealing with some pain after rereading my journal from the hardest year of my life. The resident toddler was in bed in the room next to me. I could hear him singing our song from church, "You're a good, good Daddy- you're rejoicing over me!" His timing was perfect and surely sent straight from the heart of Daddy God to tell His daughter that He knows my pain and loves me tremendously!
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