Has there ever been a yearning you had so great you would have given everything up to get it? Everybody has something they are really enthusiastic about, be it a personal relationship, their ideal job, or a sporting achievement. In fact, we might become so engrossed in these pursuits that we neglect to stop and think about whether or not we should be investing our time, resources, and feelings in them.
God truly desires that we enjoy prosperous, happy lives. That being said, our idea of "living life to the fullest" usually deviates from what God has planned for us. The promises of joy and fulfillment that are constantly made in our culture are often contradictory. According to popular belief, the keys to joy are sex, wealth, power, learning, and social position. It is safe to say that we are living a happy life if we have them all. What else might we want, who knows?
If we accept this notion of a happy existence and then fail to achieve all of these goals, we will feel inadequate and start lying to ourselves. We have to continually remember that we will never have a complete and meaningful life because of our environment or circumstances. Our deepest needs are satisfied when we want to know and follow Jesus—not because of anything he does for us, but just because he loves us.
In Mark's gospel, Bartimaeus asks Jesus to heal his blindness. Although he is driven to do this, he sees Jesus as more than just a vagabond healer. He's not begging Jesus to step in and solve his problem so he can go back to living a happy life. He knows that by following Jesus, all of his previous demands for identity and purpose have been fully met, and that Jesus satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart.
Jesus invites you to think about your highest hopes and dreams today. If you have sought answers elsewhere and are at a loss, turn once more to Jesus. Eliminate bogus promises of fulfillment and learn about your identity, value, and deservingness by " adhering to Jesus through his ways."