What Do You Want?

The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples.  When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.  Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"

 

"What do you want?"  -- a question worth asking ourselves, and waiting for the answer at the deepest level of our existence.  The answer to that question will determine everything else -- how we live, what satisfies us, how we relate to others, etc.  We will become that which we seek, for weal or for woe.  If we want approval, we become approval-seekers, and we will not be satisfied with non-approval.  The sad thing, however, is that even the approval we seek will not be enough; we will need more approval from other people.

 

If we want union with God, it is accessible to us.  The two disciples in the Gospel of John answered that they wanted to know where Jesus was staying.  "Come and See," he replied.  And they never left Him after that.  If our souls cry out to know the dwelling place of God, He invites us into His home -- and experiencing His "homeliness," (hospitality) in the words of Julian of Norwich, we never want to go anyplace else.  He fills the hungry heart with the finest wheat; He satisfies the thirsty soul with the best wine; He leads us beside still waters, into green pastures, and refreshes our souls.

 

Many people are afraid to ask for union with God; they think they are not worthy, that they have sinned too much, or that they are too weak for the demands of the spiritual life.  But the whole story of salvation is toward the sick, not the healthy; the weak, not the strong and sleek.   All we need is the desire for God; that in itself is a sign that His Spirit is already within us, begging to be released.

 

When everything we thought we wanted turns to dust, most of us will cry out to God:  "God help me!"  At that moment, when we seek Him with all our hearts, He makes Himself known to us:  "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity" (Jer. 29:13-14).

 

"What do you want?" asks the Lord, waiting for our reply.  I wonder how many of us even know the answer to that question ourselves.