3 Signs That You Might Be a Modern-Day Goldilocks

Conviction and clarity can come at the strangest of times. Yesterday I was helping my toddler clean her room, which is to say I was resting on her bed and pointing out all of the things she needed to pick up and put away. As she did this, I was flipping through the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I read the story and felt a slight chill go through me. That little girl seemed a little too familiar.  It was like I had met her before. Maybe in my own mirror each day? Am I a modern day Goldilocks? Are you?

Here are three reasons it could be true:

1. Nothing is good enough

Goldilocks had been walking through the woods. Everyone knows that when you walk through rough terrain you get hungry and tired. Everything tastes better when you have gone without food for a while. I would imagine Goldilocks would have scarfed that porridge down. Who cares if it’s too hot or too cold? Or that it isn’t even hers! She had a warm meal in front of her, but she got picky very quickly. How quickly we get used to good things in our lives, and then find ourselves wanting more. We choose the biggest and the best and  convince ourselves we deserve it. We stop viewing things as blessings and begin expecting things. We all have empty places inside of our hearts that need to be filled. We have legitimate needs. The thing is, there isn’t a thing or a person that can truly satisfy us. God is the only thing that is good enough. Everything pales in comparison to the true love we have in Him. He’s the perfect gift.

2. You search for love in all the wrong places

Goldilocks looks like a well cared for little girl. Cute dress, lovely curls. Why on earth was she wandering alone in the woods when she had a nice cozy home somewhere? Why was she seeking comfort in a house owned by animals that could rip her to shreds? Sometimes we are so desperate for love, we turn to unimaginable places to secure it. We feel comforted in front of the television. We find worth in our own appearances. We feel superior for being a good person with high morals. We drink and eat excessively. We work harder. We buy more. We expect these things to rescue us and forget we were already rescued 2,000 years ago. The love God lavishes on us is all the love we will ever need.

3. You run and hide (in the wrong direction)

When we mess up, it’s really tempting to just run and hide. Goldilocks ransacked the bears home. She ate their food, broke their furniture and drooled on their pillowcases. She woke up and saw the three bears staring her down, with an empty porridge pot in hand, and took off running. She was understandably afraid. Bears are scary. But rather than repent and seek forgiveness she chose to avoid the whole messy situation. Oh, Goldilocks, it never ends well when you live in denial. Forgiveness is a process, and can be painful at times, but it’s always the better to just say you are sorry. You don’t have to fix everything before you turn to God. Go to him with all of your broken pieces because He cares for you.

You are going to fail, but God’s grace won’t run dry. I suppose it’s not so bad to run, as long as you run in the right direction.

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