The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.
2 Corinthians 5:5
At the beginning of the new year, women who were not willing to settle for a less than beautiful life gathered for a workshop curated from one of my signature life coaching programs.
But it was an event venue that I rented for a baby shower last month that reminded me how often we miss out on the beautiful things God has planned for us because we settle for something mediocre, or something less than we wanted.
There is much to consider when searching for the perfect venue for an event. When I saw the architecture style of this one particular venue, I knew it was the one. It had an industrial vibe with hardwood floors, stringed hanging lights, and plenty of charm.
After talking to a few others about the venue, they thought the location being farther away and with no parking onsite was not the best option for renting. So, I decided on another venue that was lovely that had onsite parking and was in the area where most guests lived.
Fast forward to a week before the event—the air conditioner at the venue I rented went out. To make matters worse, the event manager could not guarantee that it would be repaired in time for the baby shower.
Looking frantically for another venue, nothing was available for the date, room capacity, service, or amenities that we needed—except the venue I desired that was farther out with no parking.
Could it be that we settle in our pursuit of the beautiful life Jesus has for us because we play it safe rather than become uncomfortably unsettled and miss out on God’s best for our lives?
In his book Never Settle, author Greg Holder writes: While we don’t consciously choose a less-than-life, it happens. Little by little, we start putting down roots in a land of less than: less than satisfying, less than interesting, less than helpful, and certainly less than hopeful. Before we know it, our faith is lukewarm, apathetic, bland.
Here are 3 lessons I learned from an event venue to never settle for less than God’s best:
1. Don’t let others talk you into settling for less. Whose voices have you allowed their cultural narrative or their world’s version of Christianity speak louder than God’s voice and the cost of being a follower of Christ?
One of my favorite quotes by A.W. Tozer is still relevant even today. “A whole generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to “accept” Christ without forsaking the world.”
Be sure to have an intimate circle of friends whose voice speaks about not settling for less when it comes to pursuing Christ and God’s best for your life even though it requires sacrifice and comes at a cost.
Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
2. Disappointment forces us to discover the beauty of what not settling would look like. What area(s) of your life are you most disappointed with? Every disappointment is an invitation to place your hope in God that something better is coming.
God wants to give you the desires of your heart even if he must allow you to go through disappointment for you to have it.
“I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.”—Isaiah 49:23
3. Desire for Christ is the answer to never settling for less. What has your heart desired more than Christ? There you will find the answer to what you are settling for. Go deeper and ask yourself: Why have you settled for it? For many of us, not trusting in God is what makes us settle for less.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26)
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for settling for less in my relationship with you and your desire for me to have a beautiful life. I pray you whet my appetite for you above all else and put a little heaven in my heart. Today is the first day of the rest of my life that I refuse to settle for less than God’s best for my life.