What Seekest Thou?

“We hunger in earnest for that which we cannot consume.” ~ Nenia Campbell

Reframed – What are you looking for? Everyone is looking for something but not everyone knows what exactly they seek. Some will say one thing but what they are really looking for is entirely different. There are also things that are sought on the surface but deep down, it is a totally different thing we really are in need of. So, what are you seeking and do you really know why you’re seeking it?

I heard a sermon last week that gave me reason to pause. The preacher gave a definition of fulfillment as satisfaction that is derived from knowing that you lived your life effectively serving your purpose and being a blessing to humanity. He said the search for fulfillment is the motivation behind the things we do and seek. For us to find fulfilment though, we have to satisfy 6 human cravings, failure to which, we risk the tragedy of finding success in life without fulfilment.

The six cravings or needs are a need for security, need for variety or dynamism, need for significance, need for love and acceptance, need for growth and increase, and a need for impact and contribution.

A need for security - physical, emotional, financial – we all need to know that our backs are covered, our tomorrows are protected. Money, houses, insurance covers . . . it’s all a search for security.

A need for variety is an escape from boredom. A change in routine, a holiday, different food, clothes, partners – it is all in search of a break from the monotony of our lives.

Need for significance is a craving to feel like we matter. That we count for something even in one person’s life. To know that someone values and appreciates you. Any rejection in our lives is a denial of this need.

The need for love and acceptance is probably one that dominates our seeking from the moment we are born until we’re on our way out. We first seek it in our families, then in peer groups, professional associations, cliques and so forth.

The fifth is a need for growth and increase. We all want to move a step ahead of where were yesterday, today. We crave growth and increase as opposed to stagnation or regression. A promotion, a bigger car, a more affluent neighborhood – whatever the label, it’s a need for growth.

Need for impact and contribution is a craving to feel that your life counts for something. That you don’t just exist but live for a purpose and a reason.

The car, the degree, the money, the promotion, the baby, the spouse, the friends, the IG likes – everything you so desperately seek, work, plan for – all of them are just symbols for the real needs in your life – one of those 6. Also, every fight you’ve ever got into was because the action of your aggressor evoked a feeling of violation of one of those 6 needs.

Hmmmmm. . . pause, recall, reflect. What is it I seek? What am I really seeking? Why does person X drive me crazy? What need do they violate when they do those things that make me mad?

The preacher went on to state that all physical things we seek are only expressions and conveyors of a deeper spiritual and psychological longing. Therefore, nothing material can ever give you fulfilment in itself. “Everything is meaningless, completely meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 12:8

What should we be seeking instead?

Seek peace. Seek contentment. Never suspend your search for peace until you acquire the physical trappings in life. And keep in mind that at the end of your life, you’ll be remembered for 2 things only: The problems you caused and the problems you solved.

The pertinent question: What seekest thou? What needs are all your strivings seeking to fulfil? Are you creating or solving problems in the course of your seeking?

“Better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.” ~ Ecclesiastes 4:6, GNT