dec 16 devotional

December 16:  John 3:27  ‘No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.  There are many ways we seek to be fulfilled or find peace and/or meaning and yet we so often choose another way. We try to use a tool for the wrong purpose, make clothes that are too tight fit, work at jobs that we shouldn’t be doing, assume responsibility for things which we have no responsibility over, and in so doing, we find ourselves frustrated. When we shop and buy things to make us feel better, it only lasts for a short while. When we use various drugs or substances to find peace or happiness, we eventually find isolation and sorrow. When we see relationships as the answer for who we are, then we often find ourselves frustrated with others as we become frustrated with ourselves. But when we are open to circumstances, people, and opportunities that are from heaven, all seems to fit into place. I might see it differently by seeing it as when I am with someone who helps me be more of who I am, or find a job that reveals what I love, or a place that strengthens my heart, or an opportunity that might be hard, but drives me to stand in my courage; then I know what has been from God, what is needed, and what sates the inner hunger of my soul.