When Your Heart Is Craving Something

There is something deep inside all of us that longs for connection. Some part of us that desperately wants to know that we belong, that we’re accepted, wanted, cherished. I was watching “Long Lost Family” on TLC recently and realized that every single family had the same craving – to be told they were wanted, when most of their lives they’d felt abandoned.

Fair warning, this is one of those shows that might require a box of tissues nearby.

But I was struck by the storyline that wove throughout each family. The discovery that they were adopted. The search. The disappointment. The questions. The fear that even if they found their biological family member that they would be rejected and unwanted.

The joy when they are welcomed with open arms. The look of surprise and delight on their faces as they discover where they finally got that smile or those eyes or that love for music or animals.

And I realized that craving is in all of us. Whether we grew up with our biological families, in families separated by divorce, foster care, or adopted, we all want so desperately to be invited into a relationship that can’t and won’t reject us. We try to fill it with social media and community events. We join groups and then sneak out quietly when we realize we don’t fit there, either. We’re on a constant hustle and search for a place that makes us feel like we truly belong – exactly as we are.

I think that God created that craving in us to draw us back to Him. And in the chaos and noise of our culture and society telling us to turn everywhere except to God, we miss His invitation. He’s the one who will never reject us, no matter what baggage we bring to the table. He’ll always open the door to us if we knock, no matter how long it’s been. And He has always loved us, since before we were born. God is who our hearts crave.

That’s not to say family and friends aren’t important. In fact, I think God intends for us to seek Him first, receive His love, and then pass it along to the people He puts in our lives. Whatever they’re searching for, we can be a light that points them on the path back to God. Because we’ve been in His presence and we know from His Word that we are loved, chosen, and worthy – and that’s a message that needs to be shared.

Maybe your story can’t have a happy ending like the ones they feature on television. But whatever your heart is craving, know that God is there to fulfill it. He knows every piece of your story and still loves you. And unlike long lost friends or long lost family, He is never lost. He’s simply waiting for you.