I have a minor serious addiction to chocolate. It's something I struggle with on the regular. Sometimes I feel it's hardwired within me because I just can't seem to shake it. I'm the mom that is shoveling chocolate chips (don't worry, their dark chocolate.. better for you right?!) in her mouth in shear desperation as she heads up stairs to begin the daunting task of the bedtime routine. On a really bad day, it comes in the form of a brownie, pouring over it like it's going to make things better. It never does. When I do give in, it's often met with me feeling unsatisfied and most likely guilt, especially if I didn't workout that day. Have you ever felt that way? Like there is this emptiness inside you, a void that needs to be filled? For some, it may not be chocolate, it may be the feeling like nothing is ever good enough; you are always looking for more, to be better, to be richer. It's got to be human nature, right? To always crave something?  I'm just one of the lucky ones that craves the stuff that makes your butt and hips grow.

In Matthew 19, the bible tells a story about a rich man. He came to Jesus, following all the commandments but still feeling like he was missing something in his relationship with God. Despite following all the "rules" he still felt that void. He asked Jesus in Matthew 19:20, "What do I still lack?" Jesus replies "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19: 21). The man then walks away sad because he was wealthy and not willing to give up the one thing that he truly loved. If you look up the word "lack" in the Thesaurus you will find words like "unsatisfied" "incomplete" and "deprived of". At first glance it's easy to take this story at face value, we may even judge this rich guy for choosing his wealth over Jesus.When I read this I couldn't help but wonder what if Jesus wasn't talking about JUST money? What if he was talking about anything standing in our way of a true and meaningful relationship with Him. We live in a world of abundance. We can have anything we want, when we want it, even a cheeseburger at 2am. In our world I think it's so easy to become consumed with everything around us, all the social media, entertainment, and even food options that we have at our finger tips. All that noise can distract us and if we aren't careful we try to use those "things" to fulfill what we are truly craving, a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Just like me reaching for the chocolate chips after a stressful day, it's easy to reach for comfort in the things around us. It can be a slippery slope,  especially when it comes to trying to fulfill the voids deep within our heart. I know for me, the comfort from that brownie is only temporarily.. depending on how fast I devour it, the guilt sets in and the void is back. I'm not saying that I have it all figured out, but what if the next time we felt that void.. that incomplete, unsatisfied, lacking void deep within our hearts we reached for something more substantial? What if we put the brownie down.. or maybe that credit card and stopped trying to fill that void with things and started filling that void with Jesus? Matthew 5:6 says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." God takes delight in our desire to draw closer to him. Reach for him first and he will satisfy your heart. We don't have to seek for worldly things to give us what we need. Our Father in heaven is just a call away, eager to comfort us and give us everything we need, when we need it.