know your needs

i have a friend who gives us the needs vs. wants speech every so often.  it's rather comical because we always try to justify our "wants" into "needs."  we need that new shirt because...  we need that pedicure because... 

all joking aside, i need to spend more time focusing on what i need in my life.  honestly, my list of wants could grow about ten items per hour, i'm sure.  so much of my time and effort is spent on my growing list of wants that i lose track of my needs.

i need jesus.  i need  to spend time with jesus.  i need my family.  i need my friends.  i need time to breathe.  i need moments of refreshment.  i need to love.  i need to be joyful.  i need to show compassion.  i need time with the special people in my life.  i need to serve.

this week, i sat with a friend just broken-hearted because her needs and wants have seemed to come to a meeting point, yet they are still somewhat at a distance.  they are just far enough off to where they can be seen, yet are just out of reach.  so what do you do when you find your needs and wants have brought you to this point?

you wait.  you wait for god to move.  you wait for god to move mountains in your life. 

i love this translation of luke 12:30-31, "your heavenly father knows your needs.  he will always give you all you need from day to day" {tlb}.  you see when we wait, we wait expecting god to give us everything we want and need all at once.  that's not his promise, though. 

his promise is that he will give us what we need each day.