Desperation - A Path to Fulfillment

 Today's word prompt for Five Minute Friday is DESPERATE. This brought to mind an example from years ago.

When our boys were younger, they were involved in 4H clubs and one of their projects was to raise a pig to show in the county fair. The purpose of this project was to learn responsibility in caring for the pig through meeting its daily needs such as food, water and shelter.

One of our boys was doing some work on the pen which housed the pig and unhooked the automatic waterer. This water system was perfect, as the it connected to a source of continual flowing water and when thirsty, the pig went to the spigot and the pressure of its mouth opened the flow of water. 

On this day, once the work was completed on the pen, my son forgot to reconnect the hose to the automatic waterer. Later in the day, my husband went to look at the pig. You could tell the signs of the pigs desire then desperation for water. It began to push much harder on the spigot, trying to get water, then began to attempt to dig under the pen to find a water source. Desperation drove the animal to do whatever it took to find water. My husband quickly hooked the water system up and the pig was fine. 

Desperation can come in many different forms. We can be desperate for money, love, food, companionship. Desperation can drive our choices to do whatever it takes to fill that need. Often those choices lead us down paths that are unhealthy.

A beautiful picture of satisfaction of a need is found in Scripture in

  Psalms 42:1.  "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God."

A focus verse in my Sunday School class this week is Matthew 7:7 - "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you."

When we ask, we express desire, when we seek, we explore direction and when we knock, we exercise determination.  

Desperation comes from an empty place or an unfulfilled need. When we turn our empty, open heart to God, He fills it to overflowing and He knows exactly what we need. May the desires of our heart be lifted to Him and may we be steadfast to find Him. Desperation is not a dead end and doesn't drive us down an empty road when we use it to pursue the things a loving God longs to give us. 

**I would like to invite you to join me on a journey in September - a daily Scripture reading plan "September Living Water". Each day the readings focus on the water of the Word of God and how it can saturate, fill and satisfy every area of our hearts. There is a printable version or a digital with a daily reading. Weekly posts will be shared here at Joyfull Living. Read more about it HERE.  I am excited and look for God's Word to do a beautiful and transforming work..  Hope you will join me!