Blog: Life in God is worth seeking (12/28/21)

BY JON PAUSLEY – OKOBOJI BIBLICAL CONFERENCE MINISTRIES

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart Jeremiah 29:13

Have you heard that attention span is decreasing? A study suggests that the average human attention span has decreased by 4 seconds over the past 20 years. No one will argue that in a world of buzz, dings, tweets, push notifications, and calendar reminders, we aren’t more easily distracted today than 20 years ago.
Chances are you’ve already lost interest in reading this article! If you’re still reading, let’s take a look at this verse from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah together. The prophet wrote these words in the verse we refer to as Jeremiah 29:13: “You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart”.
Still reading? If so, I’ll be frank. It sounds like a lot. It seems to be taking a long time and probably more than I can muster. Search with all my heart? Phew, sometimes the best research I do is the snack closet before bed. Before I write these words down as another task on a never-ending to-do list, maybe some reframing would help. A reframing that matches the reality of what our hearts feel when we find moments of silence.
We were made for the relationship with our creator.
It was Saint Augustine who said: “You made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you. Augustine put words to the feeling that we can often dismiss: we have a void within us that only God can fill. The apostle Paul in Colossians speaks of this reality when in Colossians 1:16 he writes that all things were created by Jesus and for Jesus. This includes us. People were not only created by God but for God.
Perhaps the best thing we can do in this New Year is to make a relationship with God less of a to-do list and more of a heart-fulfilling adventure. Research is adventurous when the rewards are great. A determined, full and engaging life in God? It is worth seeking with all our heart and, indeed, for our heart. Still reading? If so, perhaps consider devoting your focus, energy, and time to the greatest adventure … finding your life in God.