It’s 6pm Sunday. I am on the back porch having a glass of wine at the close of what was an amazing weekend. And as the sun is setting, I sense this stirring deep within me. Then a word comes to the surface…unquenchable.

What?…Unquenchable?…Yes.

What’s unquenchable?…Your heart.

It was an unexpected statement that took me back because I was enjoying the moment. I wasn’t having a pity party (which I throw from time to time). I wasn’t desiring or thirsting for more from life. I was, in fact, thanking Him for my life. And my heart, in that moment, was satisfied.

So, what do we do?

How do we handle our hearts knowing they are “unquenchable”?

Well for starters, I think it’s worth noting that Jesus isn’t opposed to our thirsting. Too often, we hammer ourselves for desiring or thirsting for more.

Be honest. Most of us believe an “unquenchable” heart is a bad thing. A few years ago, I would have given myself a stern lecture, put the wine up, and crawled into bed after hearing something like that. But I’ve learned that Jesus is fine with it. He’s okay with our longing for more. In fact, I believe He wants us to thirst for more.

Why?

Because He loves inviting us to His well. His desire is to give us “an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” (John 4:14) He literally wants to become that wellspring of Life within us.

So, how do we handle our hearts knowing they are “unquenchable”?

The simple answer…we don’t. We don’t beat ourselves up over it. We don’t deny it and we definitely don’t try and quench it ourselves. Instead, we take it to Him. The Ultimate thirst quencher.

Thoughts?

How has He been quenching your thirst?

to find people with guts.

As a culture, we have grown accustom to insurance, money back guarantees, and pre-paid college funds. We put our kids in organized sports because that’s safer and more predictable than letting them run through the neighborhood.

I get it.

Doing what everyone else is doing is often the safe, acceptable, and responsible thing to do. The problem is it also creates a bunch of people that lack guts.

Guts is the willingness to lose. To be proven wrong, to face rejection, or to fail. It can’t be taught. It requires faith. And it takes courage.

The truth is it’s easy to be confident when you have everything aligned, when the moment is perfect, or when your surrounded by people just like you. It’s also gutless and most likely…faithless.

I recently had a conversation with friends about the healing and redemption of emotional wounds. It was a deep and rich conversation. But one of the hang-ups we kept having was, “if you experience healing of a wound, why is it still painful?” and “why do you still have scars?”

Here is part of what I shared from a doctor’s perspective. Maybe it will benefit you.

“The human body has an “innate” desire to live and to survive. When it gets wounded it goes through a series of intelligently designed maneuvers. It sends white blood cells to fight off infection, platelets to stop the bleeding, and then microphages to clean and repair damaged tissue. After the Acute Response Phase is finished, the area of wounding becomes a scar, an adhesion, or an altered manifestation of structure and function (i.e. a limp). The draw back is that scar tissue is never as flexible or strong and is often more sensitive after healing. But the body’s not concerned about the downside of this “altered functionality” because it’s core desire is to LIVE. It knows that LIVING healed is better than dying scar free.”

And it’s no different with emotional wounding. Just because we experience healing doesn’t mean we won’t walk with a limp. It doesn’t mean we won’t still have sensitivity in that area. And like our body’s scars, we shouldn’t be overly concerned about this downside to healing.

Why?

Because living healed is better than dying scar free.

Thoughts?

What’s your experience with wounds, scars, and healing?

Seriously…this is how many of us are living the Christian faith. Jesus with a side of voting conservative. Jesus with a super-sized mission trip. Jesus with an extra slice of “be a good witness”.

We often add this and that, till there is no room for…Him.

I believe, for many, the Christian faith has become unappealing and frankly unliveable. We claim how free and unburdened it is to know Jesus. Then, we load our plates up with everything but…Him.

Why do we do that?

If you have felt burdened and heavy ladened, maybe it’s time to clean your plate. And just have a healthy portion of just…Jesus.

Nothing more and nothing less.

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There are 4 types of people:

1) People who believe they have nothing to offer

2) People who believe they have something to offer

3) People who believe God has nothing to offer through them

4) People who believe God has something to offer through them

For the 1′s and 2′s, offering or not offering is typically all about them. In respect to the 3′s, Jesus described them as servants who bury His treasure (Matt. 25:14) thus preventing offering all together.

That leaves the 4′s. For those that attempt it, this is the most risky proposition of all. It requires cunningness, faith, and courage. But it also leads to a more intimate relationship with God and expression of His Kingdom on earth. On this path, offering results in eternal treasures that far exceed the temporary risks.

Thoughts?

Which of the four paths are you pursuing?