wanted

by

To Be Wanted Is A Really Good Feeling

Everyone has a desire to be wanted; it makes us feel loved. And it doesn’t take much for us to feel appreciated or loved or even wanted. A simply gesture will do. 

To be wanted is a really good feeling

When I was growing up, when all our friends lined up and two captains picked teams, as long as we were not the last one picked, we felt wanted. 

If we were picked first, second or third, we had an even greater bond with our captain. He wanted us; we were important to his team.

There was even a sense that he liked us.

Every dad or mom knows that feeling when their child sees them after a time away and runs into their arms screaming, “Daddy!” or “Mommy!” 

Even if that time away has only been an eight hour work day, or even an hour long shopping trip, in that situation, as they wrap their little arms tightly around your neck and yell their excitement to see you, about a quarter of an inch from your ear, you know, you feel it, you love the feeling of being wanted, being loved. 

In a work environment, when you get called in to be told you are getting a promotion or given more responsibility, or just a pat on the back because of the work you are doing, you feel wanted, like you are important to your company and to your boss.

Dogs are great at making us feel wanted. They follow you around; they just want to be with you. They are glad to see you when you come home. They stay close to your side. They invite you to play with them. 

They make you feel wanted, loved. 

So the other day, I had this weird and funny thing happen. I entered the garage and got into my car to go to work. I turned it on, backed it out of the garage and stopped to record my mileage for the previous day. 

Then I hit the garage door button, put my car in reverse and backed onto the street.

I looked back at the garage door to make sure it was closing and, just as I went to put the car in drive, I noticed something. 

The garage door was inches from being closed but there was a basketball rolling slowly down the driveway towards my car. 

I laughed, but my first thought was, “Look, that basketball doesn’t want me to leave. It’s like it’s saying, ‘Wait for me; let me come too.’”

In the weirdest way I felt wanted by that basketball. I laughed as I hit the garage door button again and got out of my car. 

I scooped up my basketball in my hands and gave it a few loving bounces as I walked back up the driveway. Then I took a couple of shots at the hoop – just to be playful – and put the ball back in the garage. 

I couldn’t get the smile off my face. 

Can you be wanted by an inanimate object?

Here’s the thing: God created this world, and the fact that you are alive is a sign that you are wanted. Even if you don’t feel wanted by anyone else, you are wanted by God. In fact, God wants you so badly that He sent His Son, Jesus, to come after us. He did that by going to the cross to pay for our sins. That’s how much you are wanted by God. … So how are you going to respond to being wanted?

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How do you normally respond when you are wanted? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to my blog in the side panel and receive posts like this right to your inbox twice weekly.

by

I Never Wanted To Change My Mind

I always thought that changing your mind was a flaky thing to do, that someone who changes his or her mind can’t really be counted on.

But I’ve changed my mind on that one. … Please don’t consider me flaky now; let me explain.

The Bible tells us that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever; He’s not going to change His mind. He is all-knowing and all-powerful so He can remain unchanged.

For the rest of us, we have to change our minds. If we don’t, we never will progress; we will never get out of our ruts. We will never make any breakthroughs.

In order for you to do something different, it will mean you have to change your mind.

We can try to change things by focusing on developing new skills or processes. We can try to make ourselves follow a certain set of rules or regiments.

But unless we change our minds, we will not be successful in the long run.

People go on diets or they hit the gym, bound and determined that they will lose weight or get into shape by doing certain things and eating certain things (or not eating certain things).

But most of those people, who start out with these great intentions, go back to their old ways of eating and their old ways of living on their couches.

The reason? – they never changed their minds.

They changed their habits for a while, or their activities or their intake for a time. But only a change of mind will activate their actions into something that will stick with them for the long haul.

Everything starts in the mind, not with your actions. When you change your mind, you can then change your actions.

Forget the diet until you change your mind about how healthy you want to be and feel.

Don’t go to the gym until you change your mind about being fit.

And by the way, changing your mind is not that easy.

It’s not just a matter of telling yourself something new. You have to believe that the change of mind is a worthy change, that it is a wanted change, that you are fully convinced that you have to make this change.

Often a change of mind comes when you reach the point when you are so unsatisfied that you have to do something.

It’s that Popeye principle. You know, when Popeye would be beaten to a pulp by Brutus, when he had no hope, no escape and no strength.

Just before he popped a can of spinach out of his shirt pocket and squeezed it into his mouth (where he got the strength to do that is another story), Popeye would say, “I can’t stands it; I can’t stands it no more!”

That’s it, right there – that’s when we get to the place where we are ready to change our minds.

Before that point, we probably will just be trying a new activity, fad or process.

… to be continued.

Here’s the thing: We like our minds just the way they are. Only when we are not satisfied, not wanting the same, are we ready to change our minds. That’s why, when it comes to our faith, there is usually something making us uncomfortable. Don’t ignore it until it goes away; grapple with it, wrestle with it. It may be God trying to get you to change your mind.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has got you unsettled, unsatisfied that you may be inclined to change your mind? Leave your comments below.