Joel M Bradshaw

5The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.–Proverbs 20

I DO WHAT I DO, BECAUSE I WANT WHAT I WANT.

That statement describes everyone’s story. Many people claim that they have a struggle, but they don’t struggle. Why? Because they want what they want. I say what I say, because I want what I want. I think what I think, because I want what I want. I pursue what I pursue, because I want what I want.

So what is it that you truly want?

And the proverb is right. So you have to dig deep. A person may just answer with a more superficial want,but there is a deeper want underneath it. Let’s say the initial answer is, “I just want to be happy.” But really after digging deeper it’s “I just want to be comfortable.” And after digging further, it’s “I just want peace in my life.” And then the gut punch reality, “I don’t want to face this problem.” And maybe underneath that, “And I don’t want to have to change.”

You do what you do because you want what you want. The times I have lost weight, I have put in the hard work every day. Because my want to lose weight motivates what I do. Probably my fear of others’ opinion about my weight, if I was blatantly honest.

I’m not boiling down all problems to what you want or don’t want. I know that addictions are hard and there are at times other factors in play with the choices we make. But I have found it helpful to ask what is it I truly want. What is it you truly want?

Does what you want reveal your purpose? I think that at some point, it does. You naturally do the things to pursue the things you want most. And for the Christian, should there be a greater want than to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31)? I guarantee you, the times of my greatest hypocrisy are when I wanted something more than that.

Something to ponder this morning. How would you answer the what question?–JMB