Everyday Satisfaction
As I fill my plate, the odds are stacked against me. Even with the aid of a forgiving waistband, I almost never lick the plate clean at Thanksgiving dinner.
This celebration elevates the average dinner’s protein-vegetable-starch trifecta to an Olympic level. Why settle for one kind of potato when you can have baked, mashed, twice baked, and sweet? Who would eat only green bean casserole when squash can have marshmallows and pecans toasted on top and still be called a vegetable? I don’t know about your house, but at mine, no one asks if I would like dessert; instead I’m invited for a tour of the dessert table as if it’s round two of dinner.
I routinely forego breakfast on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, the big dinner is quite often my only meal of the day. It takes absolutely all my stomach space to fully experience it. I lean back in my chair and eat slowly to maximize the number of bites I can take without risking combustion. It’s just that good.
The dinner table’s lure isn’t solely in the deliciousness of each individual dish; the combinations are what make Thanksgiving magical. Turkey becomes divine with Grandma Herrick’s homemade cranberry relish sparkling in its crystal dish. Gravy seeps its way through the potatoes and stuffing, casting a spell over everything it touches. The total package exceeds expectations, making you unable to put the fork down until you have completely obliterated the idea that you could feel hungry again in the near future.
I’ve usually changed into sweat pants by the time our football team comes on the big screen so my belly can stop crying in pain. I lean back and sigh the big Thanksgiving sigh of utter satisfaction. I am absolutely full, and I go to bed breathing deeply of the amazing smells the house still holds.
We should be chasing this kind of satisfaction every day, not by risking a 300-pound weight gain through the pursuit of a huge daily meal, but in a determination to be satisfied and completely full by the life God has offered. Full satisfaction isn’t a unicorn feeling that may or may not appear as the stars align. Being sated in life, to the point that it puts an end to our desire for more, is actually a destination Scripture says is attainable.
“I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (Psalm 63:5 NIV)
“When I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” (Psalm 17:15 NIV)
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2, 5 NIV)
“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:9 NIV)
“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.” (Isaiah 58:11 NIV)
“I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty.” (Jeremiah 31:14 NIV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV)
Living with the hope of a fully satisfied spirit is as dependable as the post–Thanksgiving meal coma we’ve all come to expect.
Life feels full when I live as though I believe God is who he says he is. I persevere through hard times, and he brings beauty from ashes. I work hard for an achievement and thank God for the breath and strength he gave me. I cry myself to sleep and find solace in knowing God sees and gathers my tears. I enjoy a good meal and realize taste buds are evidence of God’s lavish grace. Satisfaction is all around us.
Tomorrow morning, when I open my eyes, I will tell myself it’s Thanksgiving. I’ll come to the table expecting God to abundantly meet my needs and satisfy my desires. Really, that’s all I need to do. God has set the table with more than I could need or even imagine wanting.
Will you pull up a chair beside me and get ready to lean back into that satisfied Thanksgiving sigh?
Lori Florida’s life is all about her people. She’s convinced that being Mrs. to one and Mommy to eight will be her most significant way to serve Jesus. She wants to use her life to cheer on and coach the women coming behind her. Lori blogs at loriflorida.com.
