What do I Want?

We sang a song at church recently with the line, "All we want is You."

It sounds good. It sounds right. I think it is. But what does it really mean?

This past year has looked nothing like what I expected it to. I expected to be in Africa full-time. I expected to be teaching. I expected to be on the go, racing ahead in this new journey.

I entered this year telling God He was my priority, and I wanted whatever He did, expecting His expectations to match mine.

Then He told me He wanted something different.

"I am the true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest."

If all I want is You, then all I can want is what You want for me, regardless of my expectations.

Was I wrong about this year? I believe I was hearing right. But maybe I wasn't ready for what He wanted next, and He knew that.

All we want is You.

You want to go excavating the past to extricate the poison. Oh.

You want me to not just slow down but stop. Oh.

All we want is You.

What about when it's not what we expected? When it doesn't look, sound, or feel good at all?

All we want is You.

There is no in-between. Either we mean it unconditionally or not at all. Either we're obedient or we're not.

All we want is You. It wasn't what I expected, but it's still what I want. I mean it. 

Let's do this thing