This episode explores the challenges we face in trying to manage our diverse and wild desires, our "Madness from the Gods."

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Recent discoveries from the field of neuroscience teach us that what we believe and what we believe in can greatly impact our well-being. This episode explores some different kinds of stories about God we tend to believe and how that impacts our relationship with desire.

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When we talk about desire we often think of the objects of our affection: fast cars, big houses, beautiful bodies. Even if we don't know why we want these things, they can consume our energy and attention. We often chase these objects while remaining oblivious to our true desires.

Meanwhile, leaving our true desires unfulfilled leads to diminishing happiness in our life. These desires won't go away, and they won't be fooled by half-measures. It takes work, but if we put in the effort to identify these true desires, we will discover the divine intent in each one and the happiness that comes in having them fulfilled.

This episode defines what desire is in its purest from, offers language for identifying our basic desires and illustrates God's invitation for us to deeply engage these desires for our good.

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Each day, every one of us deals with an influence that prompts us to question or self-worth, fixate on our insecurities and foster in us a sense of inadequacy. This presence is what we know as shame.

Shame follows each of us around like an unhelpful companion, continually picking at our faults, both real and imagined. As shame does this deceptive work, it disintegrates our internal processes and makes it impossible to engage our desires in healthy way. While we can't (and wouldn't want to) completely remove shame from our lives, we don't have to let it's destructive aspects ruin our happiness.

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When shame gets hold of desire it can run out of control and lead us on the path towards a very dangerous development: a hyper-focused attention on meeting a singular objective at the expense of any other meaningful goals. Or, what we commonly call addiction.

While the stigma around addiction may have lessened in recent years, labels such as "addict" and "normie" reveal a skewed understanding of how our brains work. The mechanisms for addiction are active in all of us and serve us well when properly engaged. Because of this, the recovering addict's journey of transformation may be just the roadmap each of us needs to discover a life of meaning and happiness.

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Following the recent death of George Floyd, the world was reminded of a normal in America many of us didn't want to believe. As the reality of this tragedy sinks in, apathy has become unacceptable. Floyd's story has stirred a unified desire for change across the globe, while reminding us of others who died unjustly. Protestors have filled the streets from Sacramento to Sydney to South Africa calling for reform.

Still the question lingers: What happens when these stories fade from the headlines? When this initial energy subsides, will we have the stamina to follow this cause to the end? And what can we do to ensure we don't let the cost of apathy rise on us again?

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What do you want? It's a simple question, but it can be incredibly difficult to answer. We can find ourselves mesmerized by flashy new opportunities or unappreciative of the many fulfilling options already available to us. Whether you're a troubled teenager, an accomplished adult or even a Greek God, getting to the heart of the matter takes perseverance -- and a willingness to face the truth.

If we want to fulfill our desires in live-giving ways we need fearless truth tellers. We need those people who are willing to listen deeply to our stories, to ask difficult questions and to speak the truth with grace when we may be losing our way. As we cultivate space for these relationships, we will find more freedom to pursue our desires in a way that leads to lasting happiness.

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Fulfilling our desires is a lifelong endeavor. Sometimes this pursuit will bring joy and celebration, while other moments will be marred by disappointment and despair. Regardless of the season, we all need one who will be present through it all.

In response to that need, an ancient Psalm invites us to "delight in the Lord." This is a God who will companion and care for us through every moment. Beyond that, the Psalmist assures us this divine friendship will become the foundation for a happy life, as this generous God works to fulfill our heart's deepest desires.

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