There’s this line I heard in a message once that said, “His design over my desire”. I found it pretty powerful because I don’t think many of us start out by seeing a greater value in the design of something, over our personal desire for it. For example, I don’t love the colour pink, therefore I do not have much of a desire for it. Coco Channel said it best when she said, “When I find a colour darker than black, I’ll wear it. Until then, I’m wearing black.” That’s me. If I don’t understand the purpose of the design, then good luck getting me to have a desire for it! Now let’s go a little deeper. I will say that I never desired or had a desire to be disabled. Most people can take one look at my photo and notice there’s something a little (pun intended) different. I don’t think anyone has a desire to be made fun of, to be singled out, to be portrayed in the media as some sort of joke— that’s not a common desire. So I didn’t start out desiring to look so different. Most people in general don’t start with a desire to be different because being different is hard. No matter what your situation is, we can all find things that make us different. However, as time has gone on I’ve been able to catch little glimpses of purpose in the way I’ve been designed. Although, that still does not always satisfy my desire to understand God’s design for my life. Have you ever felt that way? Have you found yourself questioning God’s design? We are all fearfully and wonderfully made, why? When our desire for God’s design is lacking, how do we come to find meaning in his design?

Think of this idea as a painting. We may spend hours staring at a painting, constantly looking it over and still, we are unable to grasp the painter’s intention. We might even wonder why on earth someone would paint something like that. Now, let’s say we are staring at a painting and the original painter is right beside us. We might be able to see their vision for the painting while getting to hear the purpose behind it— their desire for their design. Now isn’t it true that it’s far easier to know someone’s desire for their design when they are close to us? A close friend will know your heart behind a tough decision, over someone who watches your life from the internet. Someone who has seen you at your worst will be able to fully celebrate you at your best, over someone who hasn’t seen how hard you’ve fought. Moms have a sixth sense when it comes to knowing what their babies need because of how close their bond is. So what if as Christians, as we spend time with God who is the one true designer, we might start to understand the beauty of His desire a little better? And if the designer is God, then you my dear friend, are a product of his ultimate desire.

We may never know why things take the shapes they do, or why people in certain circles have it harder than others. One does not tell the mountains how they should look, nor does someone tell the ocean how to behave. So we may never know the purpose in the details of our design. However, I will say that the more we spend time with our designer, the more our desires will eventually come into alignment with his design. We don’t have to be the designer, but our desire can grow for what God has designed. In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah said,

“Yes, Lord, walking in the ways of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you…” (Isaiah 26:8-9).

One of the ways our desire grows is by walking in close proximity with God. There were times when the Israelites walked close to God and they followed his laws, they obeyed his commands and they were walking in his presence daily. God had a desire to be near to them and they had a desire to be near to Him. Then there were other times when the Israelites waited on God. They waited for him to come through, they waited for his promises, they waited for him to tell them which ways to go and yet they did this in close proximity to God. Now like any journey with God, there are times when we fall off. We tend to go our own way and we often think that what we know is better than what God knows. But at the end of the day, our heart’s desire is for God. When we go off on our own, there is still something inside of us that’s searching for meaning greater than ourselves. Therefore, God’s design is supposed to be our greatest desire.

The more we get to know our Creator, the more we get to see how truly beautiful His design for His creation is. When we sit with him in the mornings, we are met with his presence before anything else has a chance to sway our desires. When we pray to God for answers before turning to other people, we give him the space to share with us his design. When we are questioning life and the path that we must take, the very one who designed our path is waiting to tell us where to go. Again, we don’t have to understand God’s design, but the more time you spend with him, the more you will understand his desire. And spoiler alert, you are God’s ultimate design and the product of his greatest desire.

If he is the designer and you are his masterpiece then he sees underneath the mess, underneath the smudges, behind the layers and into the depths of the darkest paint in your life. He painted it! He designed you, He formed you in the secret place and He loved you completely before you ever achieved a single thing! Now your life might feel bleak, hopeless, worn out, tired and stuck, but there’s a designer who’s in the business of making his design into something beautiful. Friends, the more time you spend with your designer, I pray the more you will experience the desire he has for you. And my goodness is it ever beautiful.

So may his design, become your greatest desire.