What Are You Seeking? Because You’ll Probably Find It

Have you ever sat down and really thought about what you are looking for?

Not what you want for dinner, what you want to order from Amazon, or where you want to go on vacation. I mean, what are you really seeking in your everyday life?

I started thinking about this after reading John 1:35–39. Two disciples began following Jesus, and when Jesus saw them behind Him, He turned around and asked a surprisingly simple question:

“What do you want?”

That question made me stop. Jesus could have asked them where they were going. He could have asked why they were following Him. Instead, He asked what they wanted.

And I started wondering how I would answer Him.

What Are We Looking For?

I’ve always loved Matthew 7:7–8:

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

• Ask.
• Seek.
• Knock.

I’ve written before about what it means to ask, seek, and knock, but this time one little part of that verse grabbed my attention.

Seek and you will find.

That sounds wonderful when we’re seeking God, wisdom, peace, direction, or truth. But it made me wonder about something else.

What happens when we spend our time seeking everything that is wrong? Because I’m pretty sure we’ll find that too.

You Usually Find What You’re Looking For

Have you ever looked at a photograph of yourself while everyone around you was saying, “That is such a good picture of you!”

And what did you see?

• Maybe you immediately noticed your crooked teeth.
• Or the double chin.
• The saggy knees.
• The flappy arms.
• The belly you wish wasn’t quite so noticeable.

Everyone else sees your smile, your happiness, or the people you love standing beside you. Meanwhile, you’re zooming in on your upper arm like you’re examining evidence for a criminal investigation. Lol!

Why? Because that is what you were looking for. We do the same thing in other areas of our lives.

• If we’re looking for reasons to be offended, we’ll probably find them.
• If we’re looking for things our husband does wrong, give us until lunchtime.
• If we’re looking for reasons to worry about our children, grandchildren, health, finances, or future, there will always be something available.
• And if we’re constantly looking for evidence that we’re not good enough, pretty enough, successful enough, thin enough, young enough, or spiritual enough, our minds will happily gather evidence for that case too.

What we continually seek becomes what we continually notice.

Remember Playing Hide-and-Seek?

When we were kids, almost everyone played hide-and-seek. One person closed their eyes, counted to ten, and everyone else scattered. When the counting was finished, the seeker didn’t open their eyes and think, “Well, I guess I’ll go play in the dirt.”

No. They searched. They looked behind trees, around corners, under porches, and anywhere else they thought someone might be hiding. They were determined to find what they were seeking.

That’s the part I can’t quit thinking about. What am I diligently searching for every day?

• Am I looking for God’s blessings?
• Am I looking for evidence of His faithfulness?
• Am I watching for opportunities to encourage someone?
• Am I seeking what is good in Joe, my children, my friends, and even myself?

Or have I accidentally become very skilled at searching for everything that’s wrong? Because I don’t want to spend my life playing hide-and-seek with joy while becoming an expert at finding problems.

Scripture Tells Us Where to Look

Philippians 4:8 gives us a pretty clear list of things worth seeking.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

• Whatever is true.
• Whatever is noble.
• Whatever is right.
• Whatever is pure.
• Whatever is lovely.
• Whatever is admirable.

Those are not accidental thoughts. Paul tells us to think about these things. In other words, direct your attention there. Look for them. Seek them.

I don’t think that means pretending difficult things don’t exist. We will have problems. People will hurt us. Bodies age. Families struggle. Life can be heartbreaking.

God isn’t asking us to pretend everything is wonderful when it isn’t. But there is a big difference between acknowledging something difficult and continually searching for what is wrong.

What If We Started Looking for God Instead?

What if tomorrow morning we intentionally started seeking evidence of God’s goodness?

• Maybe it’s the sun coming through the window.
• A phone call from someone you love.
• A prayer that was answered so quietly you almost missed it.
• Food on the table.
• A friend who checked on you.
• The strength to get through something you weren’t sure you could handle.
• Or maybe it is simply the realization that God was with you in a situation that didn’t turn out the way you wanted.

Jeremiah 29:13 says:

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God promises that when we seek Him wholeheartedly, we will find Him. And maybe that is the answer to the question I’ve had rolling around in my head.

What am I seeking? Because whatever I spend my days searching for is probably what I will notice.

• I can seek imperfections, and I’ll find plenty.
• I can seek reasons to worry, and those aren’t hard to find either.

Or I can seek the Lord.

• I can look for His hand in my life.
• I can look for goodness in other people.
• I can look for things worthy of gratitude.
• I can look at a photograph and, instead of immediately finding every part of myself I wish looked different, maybe I can see what everyone else sees.

A woman who has lived.

• Loved.
• Laughed.
• Aged.
• And been blessed to still be here for another photograph.

So today I’m asking myself the same question Jesus asked those disciples:

What do you want? And then I’m adding one more.

What are you seeking? Choose carefully, Gurls.

Because you just might find it.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Have a Blessed Day!

Let’s End With A Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to pay attention to what I am seeking each day. Forgive me when I focus so much on what is wrong that I overlook what is good. Train my eyes to see Your blessings, my heart to recognize Your faithfulness, and my mind to dwell on what is true, lovely, and worthy of praise. When worry, criticism, or negativity begins to consume my attention, turn my eyes back toward You. Above everything else, Lord, let me seek You with my whole heart and recognize Your presence in the ordinary moments of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.