Sometimes satisfaction feels like we’re trying to hit a moving target, doesn’t it? It changes based on our stage of life, our society, and our needs. But the biggest, most fundamental problem with never being satisfied is that the more you get, the more you want.

I vividly remember having a heart-to-heart conversation with an 86-year-old woman who had accumulated a net worth near $6 million.  It was hard for me to fathom what she was thinking when she started to cry real tears and told me she was nearly broke. Broke? Really?

Just the other day, another woman in her late 50’s with an alleged net worth of a hundred million dollars told me she wanted to divorce her husband simply over money.  Nothing else. She simply couldn’t stand it how he would be nice and “look the other way” when a tenant of theirs was late or struggling to pay the rent.   She said in no uncertain terms, “I’m the opposite of him.  I’m in business, not charity, and I’d kick them out.”

Both of these ladies had one thing in common: they could never be satisfied.  Although they had plenty of money to live well and never worry, they wanted more.  

So, I told them a story of a middle-aged man I had met near a remote village in Guatemala.  One day, he came running to tell his friends, “I am so happy!  Today is the biggest day of my life because I finally got my mule!”  I learned that this man had worked extra hours, in extremely tough jobs for many years, and now, he finally owned the mule he had been saving for.  

The next day I ran into the same man, but he looked absolutely exhausted.  He told me he had not slept at all.  When I asked why not, he said that he laid in bed all night long, wide awake, and worried that someone might steal his mule.  

Perhaps this is why God, who sees all of our striving at so many levels, gently reminds us throughout his Word, “Do not put your hope in wealth” (1Timothy 6:17).   God is not trying to be a killjoy by saying this but is really showing his love for us.  That’s because he knows how an obsession with things of this world, which seem to promise security, can ultimately lead to insecurity.

Another analogy might be of the man who liked to have a drink of alcohol in order to relax.  But if he makes his drink too important, he will find years later, that he cannot relax without a drink, so his thing of security becomes his insecurity.

What do you want more of?  What do you long for?  Some of us want more money, freedom or power. Others want more fame, affection or health.  

Although these are good things, everything in this world will ultimately end. Sooner or later our health will fail. In the end, our loved ones will bury us, or we will bury them. Whatever money or fame we once held will disappear.

So, how do we change our satisfaction from a moving target to a firm foundation? A rock that we can lean on instead of a sandcastle that is only going to get washed away with each new wave.

There are a lot of things we seek in life, but only one has a promise. What if we sought after more of God? Yes – a deeper, closer relationship with God. The Bible says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13). It also says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8).

What a promise for today and eternity. It’s immovable, unchangeable, and attainable!  The more you invite God into your life – the more exciting, flavorful, and satisfying life becomes!