A Cookie… or… Things Above
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.”
Earlier this week, I went to work and got a report from the night nurse assistant. She was telling me how one of the patients ordered cookies for all of the staff taking care of her and that she was going to do the same the next morning. So, naturally, I get excited and wait expectantly for those cookies. The day begins to drag on with my sweet, toothed expectations at the forefront of my mind. But soon, it is past noon and still no cookies… and I disappointingly give up on the hopes of that sweet pick me up for the day. Later in the shift, I hear these two women in one of the rooms talking about the Bible! Though I still have the disappointment of no cookies on my mind, I go in for the next vitals and ask them about what I overheard. They share and proceed to tell me their “God stories” and their lives with the Lord. I meet two sweet sisters in Christ right there! Two people I will get to share eternity with.
At the end of the no cookies shift, I go into that woman’s room one last time. And she tells me that her sister left me a book that she had written about God’s peace and love. What a blessing! The whole day I was hoping and waiting for cookies and was disappointed by the lack of results, but God blessed me in a way I didn’t even know I needed. He gave me meaningful conversation and the gift of a book about Him that I can cherish forever.
In this little encounter, God was surely teaching me to keep my thoughts on things above, to seek FIRST His kingdom for true satisfaction and joy. He graciously kept me from what He knew was not going to be good for me, even though I wanted it. And instead He gave me eternal blessings, relationships, and a physical blessing of a book. The whole day I was seeking to find joy in a cookie to “get me through the day”. How silly is that! The whole time God knew what would really last. A cookie comes and goes, but that conversation with those two sisters in Christ, the book, the prayers prayed… those are lifelong treasures. I was filled with spiritual sweets.
Now we both know this is such a small comparison to the truth I am trying to convey here, but a comparison none the less. The things of this world are temporary. They might be an instant gratification but cannot sustain or fulfil us the way we are created to be sustained or fulfilled. God in His mercy, shares with us the secret to true satisfaction, true fulfillment, true joy. He whispers in a loving, gentle tone “seek me first”. The Author of joy can fill you with that very thing. The Author of fulfillment can achieve it for you. The Author of satisfaction can make those emotions rise up inside you. The simple trick is to seek that Author first. Make Him what you desire above all else. And in desiring Him first, you won’t even care about that “cookie” or whatever the cookie may stand for, any longer.
To desire Him above all else, start by spending more quality time. Just Him and you. Schedule prayer walks or hikes. Give yourself time to sit and listen or simply be in His presence. Read His Word. Commune with believers. Use the gifts of the Spirit for His glory. Join with the angels to sing Him praises. All these things and more, make your heart see and long for His perfect beauty, our missing piece, the most and helps you to see Him in all things and be blessed by it.
Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, not the cookie, not the things of this world, and all these things will be added to you as well.