Matthew 5:6 Dena Translation: Favored are those who eagerly pursue Jesus; for Holy Spirit will come and lead them into all things and they will be content.
Mine is a story of a reticent Presbyterian girl who hungered and thirsted for righteousness…it is a familiar story: raised in Sunday school, “Confirmed”, communion class, youth group, singles groups, young adult groups… I was a “good girl”. I was bored.
Really, really, really bored. Church, spirituality, faith was a lifestyle, a choice - a good choice - but I was missing something. I felt dead inside.
Thank God, at 35 my life shifted and I was vaulted into the realm of the Spirit…a place I didn’t understand, where most of the happenings did not make sense to my natural eye and brain. But, weirdly, I felt completely at peace and content. My Spirit came alive. I felt passion. I experienced excitement, fervor, deep feelings of love, acceptance and comfort. I felt joy for the first time in my life - one that bubbled up from inside me, that popped like champagne fizz in cascading waves of peace, contentment, laughter, and bliss. And it has not stopped. I found the well to draw from, activate and tap. It was a secret kept from me for 35 years.
I hungered and thirsted after Jesus - and Holy Spirit responded. How people do life bored, dry, and uninspired is beyond me. The last 15 years of my life has been much more robust and fulfilling than the previous 35 - and I am excited for the next 50!
Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they will be filled.”