What Are You Desperate For?

by Texas Stready

My life can easily be compared to having a kid from a crappy father. As much as you wish you’d made a different choice, that child is who they are because of that choice. Now don’t go spreading rumors—I love my babies’daddy—but I don’t feel the same way about all of my past choices. You see, I’m familiar with what desperate looks like. Are you?

The great thing about today is, I’m absolutely crazy about who I’ve grown into. Guess that’s part of the Romans 8:28 deal. It’s amazing what God can create from our worst messes.

No Limits

All those years of soaking in that same tub of bad habits left me shriveled, infected, and weak. I lost my ability to climb from, or even recognize, the cesspool I was caught in. One day, when the water of consequences got too deep, it became obvious to me that I was drowning. Through the tears—and between my gasps for air—a sense of desperation arose.

It always amazes me the lengths we’ll go to accomplish a desired goal. The key components to change are never found in a state of relaxation. That’s because major alteration requires we become willing to do whatever it takes. And so I ask you today, what are you desperate for?

Be Open

We all have different ideas. For instance I do not like my grandchildren outside without shoes, while their mother has no problem with it. To me it looks trashy, like you have no manners and no money. To her it looks like you’re footloose and fancy free. Is one right and the other wrong? No, they’re just different.

Our expectations range from grandiose dreams to rigid guidelines. But every choice we make is first filtered through our history of life experiences. This reality requires we remain open to outside input, otherwise, as taught in AA, “We do what we’ve always done and get what we’ve always got.”

If we hope to mature into productive followers of Christ, we must replace our limited applications of truth with God’s far superior version of reality. (See Romans 12:2)

Divine Desperation

If you slow down and review the details of your past you’ll notice this. After every crisis there comes an opportunity to gain an alternative perspective on your situation. That’s because God is always inviting us into a new and spectacular mindset. One that we’re not capable of without Him.

Because of God’s endless dedication to freedom, the option to reject His way remains available to us; but doing so leaves us caught in the tail chase of a lifetime. Stuck like Chuck. Smack dab in the middle of our hurts, hangups, and habits.

Next

The course we’re on is rarely a simple one. At times it’s hard to find the hope we need to continue. That’s why the only thing worth being desperate for is the mind of Christ. That’s what transforms our view into one that’s filled with promise, passion and purpose. The very things that make this life worth living.

Some say that people who follow Christ are brainwashed. Well, the harder I’ve looked at this accusation, the more I’ve come to hope it’s true. Reason being? We live in a diluted and disrespectful world, one that stays busy forever trying to pollute any form of wholesome thought. Knowing this, makes it easy to acknowledge that our brains could use a good washing.