Perfect Desire

We are in a world at war. One of the things I've noticed that Satan loves to do in my life is take the good pleasures that God has given us and, as C.S. Lewis puts it in his book Screwtape Letters, gives us an increasingly unsatisfied desire for more of them. Thus we take too much of them at the wrong times. Wine, for example, is amazing - the drink has a beautifully complex and satisfying taste, fragrance and color. I can sip all night on a glass and perfectly enjoy the good pleasure. But it's tempting to drink more than I really want. Giving in to that temptation, the pleasure begins to fade and I want more and more of it - and that more does not satisfy. And When it comes to our loves, it seems as if Satan tempts us to forget how much we really do enjoy them. It's easy when I'm hiking or skiing to simply attain a goal. To reach the top of a peak or to ski hard for eight hours. I begin to forget how much joy there is in the nature around me - I don't take the time to enjoy the flowers or the grandeur and awesome danger of the mountains around me. Nor do I take time for my greatest desire - something that calls so deep inside of me - a desire for the amazing love and intimacy with my creator that cannot be met by any other person, experience or pleasure found on this earth. It seems like Satan loves to take a few good pleasures and tries to get us to focus only on them, and then we no longer take joy in the experiences God has given us. We can take great joy in whatever situation God puts us in. But instead, our work often bores us, we want more of what we don't have or what alone cannot satisfy us, and our desire for our greatest loves begins to fade. It is a fight, a struggle, a battle that has more consequence than Satan I think would want us to believe. God has given us a choice to follow things that immediately gratify...or things that ultimately satisfy. Choosing what we truly desire is tough - we fight habit and our enemy and we will often fail - but God promises grace to those who are humble and he gives us the strength should we choose to seek him and fight!