Tired of It Yet?

You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.

St. Augustine

“Are you tired of it all yet?”

This was a friend’s favorite question to ask. It was his favorite because it was the same language he used—tired of it all—to describe the failure of culture’s offerings to ultimately satisfy him. The party lifestyle, even with its various post-college adaptations, wore thin. Its emptiness was beginning to show, and it served as a catalyst that eventually led him to committing his life to be a disciple of Jesus, where he began to find the sort of deeply satisfying life that Jesus spoke of.

Now, it’s the question he asks his friends, who, unlike him, still find themselves hoping to find rich, enduring, meaningful satisfaction in empty things. A few friends have recognized they are in a kiddie pool while rivers and oceans await, though they don’t know what to do about it, how to think about it, or even determine what exactly is off about the situation. And that’s a great place to start. But you need the right place to finish.

If you wish to avoid seeking to understand the way reality really is, knowing that the implications may mean something for you—particularly your moral choices—then congratulations, you don’t have to look hard for something to amuse you, entertain you, distract you. However, if you’ve gone there and back again, recognizing its emptiness not by wisdom but by experience, then let the thirst inform you. 

Satisfied in Christ

Life in Christ is not girding your loins and facing the brokenness of reality. It is not merely living stoically in the midst of nothing able to truly satisfy you. Life in Christ is finding reconciliation to God, becoming who you are designed to become in fellowship with God, and in discipleship unto Jesus, participating in His Kingdom, inviting others to find true life—the deep and richly satisfying life only available from our Creator.

It’s no coincidence that Jesus offers life to the full. He has it. And it’s only available through Him. Be careful not to confuse “having life to the full” with “having an easy life.” There are no guarantees of what may come of you on this side of the end of things. Jesus makes no guarantees of your physical well-being, your safety, your financial status. He guarantees your forgiveness, your reconciliation, your place as an adopted son or daughter, and that He will always be with you. These guarantees provide peace and contentment, for this current state of the world is temporary, and you will be with Him in the end of things when He restores things to they way they ought to be.

And when you find reconciliation, you receive God within, the Holy Spirit, who Jesus proclaims will provide provision of the good life as rivers of living water. Not a puddle. Not inactive. Not dead. An overwhelming amount. Exceedingly active. Abundant in life.

Don’t be fooled. This is not another shallow, fleeting satisfaction. This is not a manipulation of your emotions. This is joy. This is the foundational reception of the life that you were made for—made for without end. It’s time to leave the kiddie pool and not return, no matter how attractive the faux safety, faux control, warmth, and floaties may appear. You have been there before. You have been there too long. Too much is at stake. True fulfillment and satisfaction are available. And there is only one source that satisfies the deep longings for value, significance, meaning, purpose, and joy.