Obsessions, Part 1 - Obsessed With Jesus?

I'm back! Did you miss me?😄

A lot has happened since I last posted. We had a film challenge, and I got invited to a wedding! Maybe the latter one doesn't sound very exciting to any of you, but it is for me, because I have not been to a wedding since I was a baby, and of course I don't remember it.

A tan has settled on my arms. And I can't sleep in a big fuzzy blanket anymore; it's way too hot, especially since my room is in the loft. Summer is surely here, and for good!

So, today I am talking about obsessions.

About five years ago, I was obsessed with this special kind of doll. It was called an American Girl doll. It had hair you could actually style, and there were a ridiculous amount of accessories you could purchase to adorn it with. And I wanted one. I spent a long time thinking about this kind of doll and wishing I had one.

Sounds silly, doesn't it? I laugh at that now. But the fact is that even in the past few years, I have obsessed over things that I should not have.

What does the dictionary say about obsession? Here is the definition:

- an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.

Typically when I have heard people talk about obsession, they describe it negatively. Why? Because in most cases, obsession is harmful. When we think too much about a certain thing or person, we often begin to fantasize about it/them. When this perfect thing doesn't live up to our expectations, we get upset. We covet. We want things that are not ours and convince ourselves that we must have them to be happy.

Did you notice that up there, I said, "in most cases"? Why did I say that? Because, in order for us to be at true happiness, peace, and satisfaction, there is one Person with whom we need to be obsessed - Jesus Christ. He means for us to find our satisfaction, our hope, our fascination, and our heart's delight in Him. When we find it in someone or something else, we are committing idolatry. The first commandment is in Exodus 20:3:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Sometimes I have gone from being obsessed with God back to being obsessed with something else. Well, I thought a lot about why that happened, and I made up a quote about it:

If we find it a great struggle to keep Jesus in the center of our hearts and to not let other people or things fill that space, perhaps it is because we have not yet completely divorced ourselves from the lie that things other than Jesus can satisfy.

Obsessed with Jesus. There's something about that phrase that just doesn't sound quite right, isn't there? That is because being obsessed with something is almost always portrayed as a bad thing. But when it comes to Jesus, it is not. I mean, just look at the definition again:

- an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.

Maybe you are thinking, "Well, that sounds great and all, but how can I become obsessed with the Lord?" Well, that's what Part 2 is supposed to be about! Lord willing, I will be putting that out next Tuesday.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13