Desire Isn’t Selfish and Why What You Want Matters - Part 1 (episode 298-1)
Desire isn’t selfish. It’s sacred direction.
How is that for a truth bomb? This is all according to Marianne Iverson and I wholeheartedly agree. So wanting something, wanting more is actually a good thing. We are made by a Creator to create. Our brain is designed to solve problems and we get to use it for that purpose which is for our pleasure while it brings meaning to us, and hopefully serves others. Marianne is inspired by Coach Jody Moore who has taught Marianne to be open to these possibilities, to understand that if you desire it, you can create it.
Marianne is our guest this week for Permission to Want More: What’s Next and What’s Left. This is part one of our conversation.
You can find Marianne at marianneiverson.com.
Intentional. Outgoing. Lover of people and Jesus.
— Marianne Iverson
Think About Such Things
Thoughts from Desire Isn’t Selfish and Why What You Want Matters - Part 1
Desire is indeed embedded in our very souls. The desire to live, the desire to love, the desire to create. It’s a powerful force, one that needs to be fed. So why do so many of us squelch it, turn it down or ignore it? Good question.
Well there seems to be two ways desire can go. It can be used purely for selfish gain, to satisfy what can never be satisfied, or it can be used to bring about deep fulfillment. It’s usually your heart that can distinguish which is which, and it shouldn’t be too terribly hard to discern.
We may have heard, Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 Here’s the tricky part. The desires of heart are something he planted there in the first place, something he wants you to do something about. You have had personal experiences, and your own preferences you’ve developed, along with free will. Do these things align? Are they what he has for you? And if so, will you really get what you desire?
Some may say, I did delight in the Lord and he did not give me what I desire. I can see that logic. I get it. As I’ve gotten older (there is a plus there), I see that what we delight in may not actually be what God has for us. Maybe the desires of our heart follow a bell curve. Some are what we want, some are what God has for us that we never participate in (free will you know), and then there is the sweet spot in the middle, where our purest desires overlap with God’s offerings for us.
Now this is all opinion - my opinion. I can’t prove any of it. I just know I have spent time thinking about such things. God has a plan for each one of us but we don’t always participate in that. Since he is a gentleman, he will not make us receive his blessings. So we operate within the framework. Think of it like the framing of a house, and how we finish out the house is where are exercising our free will.
Lastly, maybe God has given you the desires of your heart but they are not what you expected. They don’t look like what you ordered. Don’t you think that God, who knows you better than you know yourself, that loves you more than anyone else ever could, can be trusted to supply you with the best gifts possible according to his view, his purposes, with eternity in mind? Yeah, me too.
Maybe you have everything you ever wanted. Maybe you lack nothing.
— Think about such things
