"I Get That Big Guy. . ."

Our two year-old granddaughter attended the last of our local university's football games this week. This was her first time at one of the football games and her first time to see the school mascot, Southpaw.

Now, Southpaw is a very big, very animated Jaguar. Emma first caught sight of him as he walked jauntily in front of the stands where we were sitting. From that moment on she was obsessed.

"I go get that big guy." "I find the big guy." She was constant, she was relentless and she was determined. If I hadn't had a tight grip on her, she would have been out of the stands and following hard in the direction he had gone.

Finally, I consoled her by deciding to stand in front of the stands in hopes he would pass by soon. That was not enough. She continued her non-stop insistence that we "find that big guy!" I eventually decided we would just go and find him and I was rewarded with the most grateful kiss on my cheek those little lips could bestow.

We found Southpaw resting against the fence in front of the student section. I came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around and looked at Emma from that huge cat-head. Emma immediately crumpled. He was so much bigger in person! Her little eyes were wide and finally her mouth was silent. (No more clambering to get the big guy - he was REALLY big to her now.) Southpaw was wonderful with her. He blew kisses to her and made friendly hand gestures to her.

Literally the second we walked away, Emma began again,"I go get that big guy!"

Sometimes we have something in our mind that we really believe is exactly what we think we need to make us satisfied and happy. We cry out in our mind to "go get that big thing" (whatever it is) until maybe we finally track it down and tap it on the shoulder. But so often, when it is in our sight, or in our hands, we realize it doesn't make us happy. It doesn't satisfy us. And a second later we are again crying out for something else to fill that longing.

That is because the longing of our heart is the Lord Jesus. That hole in our heart, that emptiness, that loneliness we are trying to fill can only be satisfied by Him. He is the all in all that alone will bring us peace and love and perfect contentment. Once we have Him, we will find, we have all.