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Hey, Brenda Earley joining you from Sweet Home Alabama today. Are you excited for Week 2? This is my first study serving on the study leader team, so I’m definitely excited and looking forward to connecting!
Can I ask you another question? What’s in your “grab bag”? You know, all the stuff that tends to steal your attention, grab your focus. Yeah, THAT bag!
All too often the temptation to “grab” can be great for me. And it seems the more I grab, the more I want to grab. But why? And does all that grabbing ever fulfill?
Lysa TerKeurst addresses this in Chapter 4 of Uninvited, when she writes:
“At the core of who we are, we crave the acceptance that comes from being loved. To satisfy this longing we will either be ‘graspers’ of God’s love or ‘grabbers’ for people’s love.”
Which one are you?
When I’m aching for love and acceptance, I admit I can be the “grabber.” And not just for people, but for things, too!
Here are some of the “popular” contents of my “grab bag” — boutique clothing, fabulous shoes, new diet fads or workout videos, best face products and makeup, and cutesy clothes for my 4-year-old! Oh, and let’s not forget the love and attention I grab for from my husband ... maybe even my friends at times, too!
While these might not necessarily be bad, I’ve found they can lead to disappointment when I unrealistically expect them to fulfill me. Yes! They’re a poor substitute for filling that place in our heart designed specifically for only our Designer to fill — that core place that Lysa mentions craves acceptance and love.
All in all, Lysa’s wise words in Chapter 4 have me pondering: What if, in those moments of need and temptation, instead of grabbing for love and acceptance from things and others, we were to pause, reflect and grasp ... for GOD’s? What difference could that simple pause and swap make?
Grab for love and acceptance from things and people.
Grasp for love and acceptance from God!
It’s our daily, moment-to-moment choice, friends! Which will YOU choose each day — to grab or to grasp?
As we head out into the rest of our week, let’s grab hold of this treasure from Lysa so we can remember to grasp for the RIGHT thing instead:
“If we grasp the full love of Christ, we won’t grab at other things to fill us.”
Reflect and Respond:
Observe — What are the things you’re grabbing for instead of grasping for God?
Bible — Read Ecclesiastes 1:14 and Ephesians 3:14-19. How do these verses provide HOPE to encourage you to grasp instead of grab?
Stretch — As you go through the rest of this week, watch for what you’re grabbing for to be fulfilled. If it’s something/someone other than God, PAUSE, and then reflect on the treasures you’ve collected to help you GRASP for God instead. Record your struggles and successes in your OBS Journal and/or share on social media using the hashtags #P31OBS and #UninvitedBook.