It’s no secret that we’re all searching for fulfillment. We all want to find satisfaction. As humans, we go after that fulfillment in a variety of ways, many of them destructive. At our core, each of us is searching for that moment when we look at our life and say, “This right here is how it’s supposed to be.”
Here’s the problem: we’re not experiencing that level of fulfillment.
Why is that? Maybe the biggest reason is that we are eternal beings living in a messy world. The true satisfaction that we crave will one day be found in Heaven. But that doesn’t mean we can’t find fulfillment in this life. If you—like all of us—are looking for some fulfillment in your life these three simple steps are a great place to start.
1. Prioritize God above everything else.
Our relationship with God is the most important relationship in our lives. If we don’t tend to that relationship first, we can’t expect the rest of our lives to make sense. It is in him and him alone that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Jesus talked about this in the book of Matthew. He pointed out human anxiety about food, clothing, and the future. His solution was to prioritize our relationship with God:
“But seek first the kingdom of God
And of his righteousness
And all these things shall be added to you
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow
For tomorrow will worry about its own things,
Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:33-34
God needs to remain the priority in our lives because he is the only constant. He is the only part of our lives that will never change, disappoint, or fall apart. He must be the remain priority and delight of our heart. We need to make sure that the space that God should occupy is not taken up by lesser things, but that is a constant battle.
2. Prioritize people over stuff.
Seeking God’s kingdom means more than just seeking God. It means that we seek him first, above all else. But it also means that our minds are set on what is eternal. What is going to last beyond this life? God’s kingdom is made up of eternal people. When this earth passes away, the eternal creation of our souls will still remain. Seeking his kingdom means that we extend that kingdom to those around us. We are hardwired for relationship, but we live in a world that sacrifices relationships on the altar of stuff every day. Our jobs, our finances, our “stuff” will never fulfill us the way that relationship will.
3. Prioritize balance.
This concept is a tricky one. The idea of “balance” comes up a lot these days. In a world that moves at a pace as fast as ours, balance is key. However, it’s all too easy to avoid what we don’t want to do in the name of “balance.” Look at the life of Jesus, or even the Apostle Paul. By 21st century standards, their lives weren’t very balanced. I think of balance like a pizza pie. Our life is divided into lots of sections: work, family, entertainment, and on and on. Rather than giving each area the attention that it needs, we let one or two things take up the whole pie. We need to keep everything in its proper “slice,” and those slices look different in every season of your life.
Whenever I find myself stressed out or overwhelmed, I come back to these three steps. God is always first. Next, I need to love the people that God loves (which is everyone!). Finally, I need to give every area of my life its proper due. If we can learn to live like that, we will find ourselves fulfilled.
Amen & amen.