Flowers and photography, café culture and Korean cuisine – my recent trip to Asia was full of things that delight me. Just for the record, it wasn’t all fun and games. I put in a lot of hard work too, some of which was pleasurable, and much of which just had to be done.
‘Desires’ became the theme of the trip. A helpful discussion with a colleague about the truth that God knows how we are designed and chooses to use our desires in his work stemmed from a comment I made about expecting suffering. Yes, suffering is a reality too, but I emerged from that conversation with a focus on God’s kindness and individual attention to us. I shared this insight with a fellow traveller as we bounced along a mountain road. Later that day, she turned to the devotional book she was reading on her phone (see the screenshot) and found almost exactly the same sentiments there. We both took that as God’s encouragement to enjoy all that we were experiencing.
Godly desires please God. However, it would be remiss not to mention that the Bible also warns against satisfying the ‘desires of the flesh[1]’ and, shockingly, even refers to the desires of the devil as reflected in people[2]. These desires are obviously not helpful in participating in God’s work nor are they good for us personally. Perhaps ‘desires of the flesh’ include things which bring short-term gratification but long-term problems, such as overindulgence in activities or foods we enjoy. I wonder if the desires of the devil include unhealthy striving for prestige, power and prosperity.
Sometimes I feel guilty about my current lifestyle. I get to travel plenty – something which I don’t take for granted. I enjoy plenty of people-time, unlike my last role in an office which I found trying though willingly accepted for a season. I enjoy learning, and academia is a part of my current role, as is dabbling in language study. The café culture is something I enjoy, and I’m quick to support the blossoming café culture in Asia. A couple of significant conversations took place in cafes this last trip, one planned and the other (divinely) coincidental. The joy I get from amateur photography also fits well with regular trips as a tourist to an area which, in recent years, has been marketed as a ‘photography corridor’.
I wrote down these thoughts about desires on paper in a café in Asia. I am typing them up weeks later. At the time, and as true today as it was then, I penned these words:
“As this trip draws to an end, I look back with gratitude and forward with hope. We serve a good God who loves to satisfy our desires.”
[1] Ephesians 2:3
[2] John 8:44