Like most people, I love life’s pleasures. I even get particularly excited about the simple things like a good meal, an entertaining movie, intriguing conversation, and just observing the world around me.
As you can imagine, New York City is pretty much the mecca for enjoying life’s pleasures. You can do anything and everything here. You can be entertained in every which way imaginable. You can try every possible cuisine on just about any street corner. You can cross paths with people of all different walks of life. You can bump into the love of your life on the subway - one of hundreds of trains that run in an underground world, beneath the most prominent city on earth.
It’s quite the life here, to say the least.
It’s easy to get caught up in all of that. It’s especially easy when you hear over and over that New York City is THEE City. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. The city of excess. The city that doesn’t sleep.
Every so often, though (and more often lately), when I lie down to fall asleep at night, I sense the longing in my heart…in my soul…for so much more. It’s a longing I know has always been there, but it’s been so strongly masked by all of the STUFF going on around me. I can’t help but think that that’s something most New Yorkers experience, and probably everyone no matter where you live.
With that, I’ve had to come to a pretty tough realization recently, and it’s that a lot of what I strive for and chase after in life isn’t actually the real deal. So much of what I desire is based on what our society and culture has told me to desire. And so I chase these things seeking fulfillment, only to find over and over and over again that they left me feeling even more empty than before.
The thing is, I always THINK I’m going after the right things. They’re things that make me feel good…make me feel alive (for a moment, at least). So where’s the problem?
The problem is that it’s so easy to fall for the counterfeit versions of what I truly want - what I truly desire.
Counterfeit love that actually slowly breaks the heart
Counterfeit high that is never fully satisfied
Counterfeit success that is primarily self-gratifying
Counterfeit friendships that result in more loneliness than before
The counterfeit “perfect life” that makes us even harder on ourselves because we think we have it all, yet we still feel empty inside
Some people can accept the counterfeit version of life without even realizing it, and they may even have an exciting, entertaining life at that. That was me for a really long time, and it’s still easy to get caught up in it.
But there’s something in my heart that knows there’s something more - something bigger and more valuable.
Love that doesn’t just feel good, but makes us better people and gives us glimpses of the love of God
A high that comes not from drugs or alcohol, but from supernatural peace and joy unspeakable
Success that is measured by how it helps others
Friendships that are selfless and uplifting; people you can truly “do life” with
A life that may not be perfect, but it fulfills the soul
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying it’s bad to like or do things simply for the sake of enjoyment/pleasure. I LOVE life and try to have fun every single day. But I think every once in a while it’s good to do a heart check - to realize the WHY behind our desires and what we put our energy toward.
Because at the end of the day, I’m realizing that a life overflowing with counterfeit pleasures doesn’t even come close to the fulfillment of a life with purpose.
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Gracie, I love this. Thanks for being so vulnerable. I definitely agree. Sometimes, I get so anxious and paranoid about what I think I need and what I want that I forget to do a heart check and to see the real reason behind why I’m chasing after these things. It’s really hard, and there are so many things that I WANT so deeply, but I know that when it gets to be anxiety producing, the first person that I need to give it to is to Jesus and then put that desire back within the confines of the Cross <3
yes and amen! glad this post resonated with you, Jennie <3
Oh man, you are speaking to my heart here. I feel like the world tells us that this temporary pleasure/success/what have you is going to fulfill us but really it just leaves us feeling empty. I love calling it counterfeit though- I’m leading a women’s bible study (starting tmw and so excited) and I feel like this is something that would really resonate with them as well and we always talk about doing life together! Excited to see what develops from our authentic lives with God at the center- because that’s where all goodness comes from!
That is SO awesome, Emily! I’m glad this resonated with you <3 Jessi and I actually just started a new women's small group yesterday too
I love this post! It also resonates with me right now - I feel as though there is just something more out there for me that I should be doing in my life and I have this idealistic picture in my head of what my life should be at this very moment but when in actual fact, it probably resembles the life of a made-up “reality” show. When I really think about what I want in life to be happy, I can actually picture something a little different. If I look back on all of my past pictures and see how much I have actually accomplished, did and seen so far then I feel a whole lot better about my life right now.
I have always loved this quote as well.. “What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it’s supposed to be”
YES - that quote is so so true. I know what you mean too about thinking your life should look a certain way (like a reality show). And, I really think that social media is a lot to blame for that :/ I think the key is continuing to do those heart checks and not letting social media/those cultural ideals dictate our decisions/emotions.
Thanks for this comment, Shannon !
This is so beautiful. I find myself often concerned with the appearance of my life, rather than the deeper relationships//success//joy etc. and it is a really dangerous trap. I’ve never put the word ‘counterfeit’ on it, but that fits so perfectly. More of Him, less of me- more deep, real, meaningful life, less counterfeit!
I’m a little late for commenting on this post, but I LOVED it. It really resonated with me because I tend to feel guilty at times when I find myself feeling this way. Always feeling like something is missing or longing for something more that I can’t quite put my finger on. However, I know it is something many individuals struggle with but also get through by…. focusing on Him and listening closely to our hearts. Thank you for this, Gracie!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for this comment - glad the post resonated with you because it was something that was really on my heart! <3
That is one of my favorite verses! Actually one of my all-time favorite songs is “Lose my Soul” by Tobymac. Sometimes I just feel straight up overwhelmed by the meaninglessness of some of the things I chase after. But I am human, so that fight will always be inside of me to some extent. I’m just gratfeful for Bible verses, songs and blog posts like this that put everything back into perspective.