Ten years ago, my mother asked me to look through a department store catalog to see if I wanted anything. She was trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas. I told my mother that I didn’t need anything. As I turned the pages, there was really nothing I wanted. But then I saw a beautiful red and gold duvet with throw pillows, and it looked gorgeous. I looked at the price. It was nearly $200. I laughed at how ridiculous the price was, as if anyone in their right mind would pay that much for a decoration for a bed.
Fast-forward 10 years. I was wandering around at a yard sale with my mom. I found the exact duvet I had wanted for 10 years. It was $10. I looked up to God and thanked Him for giving me what I had wanted for so long. God indeed knows the desires of our hearts and remembers everything. I had actually forgotten about the duvet.
I went home and put the duvet on our bed, and it looked just as lovely as my dreams. I smiled.
When my husband came home from work, he wanted to lie down on the bed, but it was covered with a fluffy duvet and five throw pillows. He wondered how to undo it so he could just collapse. I helped him to know where to put the pillows.
After a couple of days, I realized that the gorgeous, fancy duvet was highly impractical. It took up way too much space when I took it off the bed. I nearly crashed over some glass candle holders to get it off the floor so we wouldn’t trip on it to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. There was nowhere to put it.
And every time I wanted to lie down, there was now an impediment in the way.
I realized that what I had wanted for 10 years, I didn’t actually want.
I wonder how many things we covet in life that aren’t actually good for us. That when God gives them to us, we don’t even want them any more.
Or worse, we plunge our families into suffocating debt because of our covetousness. And then we pay the penalty for years because of endless fees on credit cards.
Years ago I asked God to change my heart to give me desires that would bring Him glory and that would actually matter for eternity. When you ask God to change your heart, He does. My greatest desire right now is for women to grow in their walk with God, especially in the area of prayer. When God fulfills the desire that He plants in your heart, you feel incredible joy and you’re never disappointed.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
Tags: Christian Living, coveting, finances
Amen! Wow ! Even if we forget or have quit asking for a desire .. the Father heart makes sure to place it on the lap of our heart tangibly… thanks for sharing your story.
God remembers and is able to provide beyond all that we ask or think.
This is so true Susan! There have been many times that in the moment I have wanted something but for reasons or another haven’t been able to get them. As time progressed and my focus returned to God, the previous desire no longer holds its allure.
We often don’t realize how useless (or uncomfortable) the object would be. My husband just got me a pair of boots I’ve been wanting for several years, and after wearing them for about an hour, they start pinching my feet.
I admit I have so many things I want and they aren’t practical! That’s a great point about wanting something that God keeps from us because it might not be the best thing for us. Change my heart, God!
When our greatest desire is God, He aligns our desires to His and grants those desires.
I love this story. I have had similar problems and have especially noticed it with my kids around the holidays. It seems that the one thing we “need” we don’t actually want! Very true.
Kids drop a toy and play with the box instead. I think our American culture focuses too much on material things.
Great reminder! Especially this time of year when shopping, sales, etc are such a focus. It is tempting to think we need things when really we don’t. It’s our worldly nature at work.
Americans don’t really know the difference between a need and a want.
This is so on point. Love when you said, “Years ago I asked God to change my heart to give me desires that would bring Him glory and that would actually matter for eternity. When you ask God to change your heart, He does.” This is so true – oh, that my heart would mirror His always!
Amen!
I get most of our storybooks from a local public library. And the rest come from cheap shops and online too. I borrow a lot of my textbooks from friends or then buy them cheaply and directly at high street bookshops.
I’m thrifty, too!