You have been there.
In a “discussion” with a friend, spouse, boss, parent, child, and someone blurts out this loaded question… WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
At one point or another you have probably been on both sides of this interaction. When asked of us, we often believe the answer should be obvious. And when said by us, we believe the expectation has already been met (or exceeded 😁) and that the expectations must not have been clearly defined in the first place.
It is a classic case of not being on the same page.
At times, the fear of not living up to someone’s expectations and letting them down has made me hesitant to even ask this question in the beginning (long before both parties are already frustrated).
And other times, we are just more concerned with what we want from “them” to even consider the question in the first place.
After Jesus (in John 6) fed the 5,000, the scripture says the crowds got in boats and went to Capernaum looking for him. And when they found him, Jesus tells it to them straight…
“26 Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
I’m so grateful that Jesus is willing to cut to the heart of the matter in our lives. He tells them that the work that they need to invest in is eternal, and is hinged solely on their belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ whom God has sent.
In our society “wanting something from someone” often gets immediately filed under the “you don’t really care about me” section of relationship counsel.
But that’s not necessarily true at all. There are many examples of us wanting from someone (i.e. parenting), because we want ultimately want for someone.
Here is the question we should also remember to ask,
“What do you want for me?”
In John 20:31, John writes,
“These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
What does God want for you? He desires us to believe in the one true Savior Jesus Christ, and in doing so, find LIFE in Him, now and forevermore.
It’s love, real love.
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