What Are You Looking For?

The last question of this series on the questions Jesus asks can be a really tough one: “What are you looking for?” I was once asked this question from the grocery store attendant when it must have been obvious from my aimless wandering and the bewildered look on my face that I had no idea what I was doing. I answered his question, “I’m looking for capers.” My confusion was contagious. Now he looked bewildered as his thoughts wandered aimlessly too. I didn’t really know what capers were, I just knew the Mediterranean dish I wanted to fix called for them. Where do you find capers? We eventually found them, and now I know what they are and where to find them. Sometimes it’s easy to know what we’re looking for. Other times, not so much.

In your heart, in your secret and quiet places, what are the hungers that drive you forward in your life of faith? What are you looking for? I’ve been thinking about Jesus’ question. When I go to church, when I pray, when I open the pages of Scripture, what am I looking for? Am I looking for anything, or am I just going through the motions of a religious life I inherited from my parents and pursue as my profession? Am I seeking consolation? Affirmation? Belonging? Certainty? Am I looking to gain power, or to surrender it? Am I looking to arrive, or to simply journey? What are you looking for?