by Kristina Fertala
Have you ever had this thought before? In another life I would be super outgoing, be bold, enjoy roller coasters, get better grades, have a beautiful voice and “live a little more.” Nearly every single one of us comes across this “in another life” statement at one point or another. But why? In what other life would we be living out those things when we know we really only have one life to live?
When we live with a mindset of wanting more, we are going against the life that was perfectly planned out for us by God. It’s interesting how often we can feel that the life that we are living isn’t enough, and how often we don’t feel content with what has been provided for us. Usually when we feel this way, it is a reflection of a condition of our heart that shows we don’t quite understand what we have been given.
However, Scripture says we have been given everything we need to live our life to it’s full potential in the glory of the Lord. Maybe our problem is that, instead of using our gifts and talents towards the glory of the Lord, praising Him for the wonderful life we have been given and embracing our original design, we sit selfishly, allowing the enemy to tell us that we need more.
An easy example of this is looking at the life of Eve. Eve lived in the most beautiful garden in the world, could go on walks with God, and had a husband that she was created for (and from). But still Eve wanted more, and allowed the devil to convince her that if she had more in life, that she would be even more perfect. Eve had everything she needed to thrive and give glory to the one that created her, and instead of looking at those truths, she gave into the desire of wanting more.
Instead of sitting in our believed place of need, it is vital that we turn towards the direction of the Lord, learning how to move in His Glory more and more everyday. And when it comes to our desire to live our lives to their fullest potential, we can ask ourselves these questions:
What gifts have I been given?
What is unique about my heart?
What am I thankful for?
How can I use what I have been uniquely given?
And know this: just like Eve, we will constantly be tempted to believe that we have to be or want more in our lives. It is so easy to fall into the what if’s and I want’s of our society and it’s standards. However, if we can remind ourselves of the potential that we have been given and that we have all that we need at this exact moment, we can work towards a heart of contentment in the life that we have been given.
