“Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” Ephesians 5:17 MSG

Are you settling for satisfied? Satisfied sounds like a good thing, and it is to a point. But is satisfied fulfilled?

Satisfied is content with the current status. Is that you? Is that enough? There was a time in my life when that was me. I was satisfied but within was an unrelenting awareness that there was more. Satisfied may seem like enough, but is it achieving all that you are meant for? I knew that I wasn’t but wasn’t sure what to do next.

Fulfillment results from doing what you were created to do. Fulfillment comes from being the best you. Fulfillment is found in divine potential. That unrelenting awareness began to dissipate as I set out to pursue my purpose and potential.

Doing what is on your task list may seem like enough. When you check off each task you may feel satisfied. I know I do! But are you fulfilled? I knew I was not.

My challenge to you, Dear Friend, is to reach for fulfillment. Don’t settle for satisfied.

Why?

Our cultural proclivity toward productivity will not lead to fulfillment. Think about it. Every productivity guru and time management hack is focused on doing more. But when you do more your goal becomes to do even more. Fit more in. Check more boxes off your task list.

This may lead to satisfaction, but I submit that it is empty satisfaction. Checking boxes off your task list can only lead to fulfillment if you set tasks that line up with God-inspired goals. God-inspired goals flow out of God-designed purpose. Are you lined up with that?

God didn’t choose you so that you can get more done. He chose you to bear fruit. John 15:16 says, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.” God’s goals for you are aligned with His eternal purposes. Your temporal achievements are only valuable when they bear fruit for the Kingdom. Losing that perspective leads to a satisfaction that lacks fulfillment. Don’t settle for satisfied. There is so much more!

Fruitfulness lines up with your purpose and leads you to fulfillment. Fruitfulness is never about producing more. Fruitfulness is about producing more of the right thing. It is about fulfilling purpose.

If a plant produces more leaves and doesn’t yield more fruit it is not fulfilling its purpose. It may look like fruitfulness, but growth without fruit is empty. That’s the kind of growth a good Gardner will prune away to make room for what matters most: Fruit! Perhaps it’s pruning time. What do you think? Cut back the growth that doesn’t matter to make room for growth that does.

Dear Friend, my desire for you is that you will bear more fruit for the Kingdom. That is the fruit that makes a difference. More leaves will just get in the way of your purpose. You might feel satisfied. It may look good to others, but you may have an unrelenting awareness that it isn’t enough. You will grow and that is good, but don’t settle for satisfied. Go for fruitful growth. You might need to prune some of your “leaves” to make room for fruit, but it will be worth it!

Key Question: How does fruitfulness lead to fulfillment?

A Scripture to Consider: “Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” Ephesians 5:17 MSG

A YES Challenge: Where are you settling for satisfied rather than fulfilled? What one thing can you change today that will move toward greater fulfillment?

Prayer: Father, I don’t want to settle for less than you have for me. I don’t want to settle for satisfied. I want to reach for fulfillment of Your purposes for me. Then I will be fulfilled, content that I am becoming all that I am meant to. My life is Yours. Lead me to the fulfillment You have for me. Amen.

September 12, 2026

This is Not Forever

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT

As I tearfully opened the sodden boxes of our stored belongings, wondering what was ruined, a verse came to mind,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

We were temporarily living with my parents, and our stuff was stored in Tom’s parents' garage. They had a plumbing issue in their bathroom above the garage, causing a leak that soaked several of our boxes and other items, including our mattress. We weren’t sure what was salvageable.

That period of time was already difficult. We were waiting for a job to open up and unsure how long that would take, how long we would be living with my parents, how long our stuff would be stored. Both sets of parents had been patient, loving, and gracious. There was no one to blame for the water damage. Sometimes things just happen.

But when that verse popped into my brain, it completely changed my perspective on going through the damage. The tears didn’t stop. There was some mourning and disappointment. But at the same time, there was hope. This was temporary. These things were just things. What really mattered was how I responded. I could choose an eternal perspective. I could choose to treasure Christ more than an earthly possession.

As it turned out, very few of our things were unsalvageable, and insurance more than covered anything that was lost. But the eternal perspective I gained is a treasure that I still carry. That simple shift helped me through the three and a half years of living in the in-between.