Do we believe that we can feel satisfied? Or do we all wonder as did the Apostles of old in saying, ‘From whence can a man satisfy these men … here in the wilderness?¹ In Proverbs 13:25 we are told, ‘The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.’ We often struggle to find satisfaction when so many immediate needs pull us into envy and might appropriately classify us as having the belly of the wicked. However, we can learn to find satisfaction in Christ, and as Christ did.

What is satisfaction?

In scripture, satisfaction is often wrapped around the concept of food and hunger. While the metaphor is poignant, satisfaction is much more than a full belly. However, fullness is helpfully in defining satisfaction. Ellen T. Charry defined satisfaction;

Satisfaction is a sense of contentment, of fullness rather than emptiness. It arises when no more need be done, for what has been sought has been found, well-accomplished, or properly concluded. Satisfaction releases the tension of expectation. … Satisfaction enables us to rest and enjoy.

If we are not careful, we can get the perception that satisfaction happens after the work is done. However, satisfaction is not a payment for work; it is a state of being. Jacob, in 2 Nephi 9:50-51 invites us to see Christ as the solution to the lack of satisfaction. To labor with Christ in whom we can find satisfaction. Do we believe Jacob when he says,

Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.

Interestingly, Jacob invites us to carefully evaluate if we ’labor for that which cannot satisfy ‘. How can we tell when our labor satisfies? What does it feel like? What does it look like? Who does it involve? How do we get a fat soul of delight?

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 so eloquently explains labor for things that do not satisfy. I wonder if the writer of Ecclesiastes could have ever imagined our current U.S. consumerism?

Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them?

How does satisfaction relate to worship?

Do we possess things so that we can feast our eyes on them? I hate to admit that I do. Is there something wrong with beautiful things in our lives? Art is, by definition, built for us to feast our eyes on it. I do think we get to a point where the artwork or other possessions are only for us to possess and that any other purpose has been drowned out by greed of having more.

I am reminded of a story of basketball cards and trading with my friend Richie when I was in grade school. Looking back on the experience, I felt the cards and their value become more important than the relationship that was happening in the now with Ritchie. I hurt him in the transaction. I didn’t quite know why I felt weird about not trading him because I had the better ’thing’ and I really did enjoy looking at them. As I look back on that situation, I now know why I felt weird. I valued a thing more than a relationship.

Ellen T. Charry called this feasting of the eyes a bottomless craving. She says,

As a culture, we have lost the notion that bottomless craving is a problem. We do not see it as an obsession. Yet, it spells the end of satisfaction, the end of enjoyment. … The end of satisfaction is a curse. It destroys enjoyment and happiness in what we have. Focusing on how we will get what we want next undermines interest in what is nearby; the present is only an instrument for getting somewhere or something else. Without satisfaction, we are not motivated to care for and attend to what is in front of us,

So maybe we can posses things if we can find satisfaction in the plentitude of what we have been given and the purpose for which it has been given. Can we recognize that things exist to support relationships not that relationships exist to support things?

Let me ask this again. Can we recognize that things exist to support relationships not that relationships exist to support things? Uncontrolled technology seems always to separate us from the intimacy of others and God. But controlled technology has given our family the wonderful blessing of talking face-to-face with our missionary son each week. It is almost unimaginable how much technology can benefit deep relationships when used correctly. Even the technological thing called video games can be an excellent relationship builder instead of just something on which to feast our eyes. I have always admired Nintendo for its careful development to build relationships into many of its great games.

1 John 2:15-17 gets right to the point about how we can find satisfaction. If it hasn’t been evident up to this point, satisfaction comes from the love of the Father. It comes from our focused worship of Him, not of things.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Then, can God be satisfied?

Isaiah 53 helps us understand that satisfaction comes from what we do in relationship. We can see that Christ is satisfied in the struggles of His anguish. The English Standard Version of Isaiah 53:11 says², ‘Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous,and he shall bear their iniquities.’

So God can be satisfied, and the state of satisfaction can exist even in the anguish of soul. When we see those around us for who they are and then choose to lift them, we can be satisfied. I think God is sharing a similar message in Doctrine and Covenants 56:14-17. I used to always understand these verses as talking to two different groups. However, I have come to realize that these verses are talking to the same person all at once. They are talking to me because I am always richer than some and poorer than others.

… your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways. And your hearts are not satisfied. And ye obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; … Wo unto you poor men, … whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!

Satisfaction in relationships

I think we all yearn for a satisfied heart. Too many of us believe that satisfaction comes from having things or even giving things. From having praise, prestige, rewards, or fancy cars and electronics. It seems like almost a given that most of us will often incorrectly try to find pleasure in unrighteousness.

Some of our most cherished stories involve people releasing cherished things (See the great Heber J. Grant story below). I somehow always saw these stories as grand because the person sacrificed a thing for someone that needed the thing. Maybe that is part of the story, but the noble element is that people were noticed and that relationships drove decisions, not possessions. Can we see each other as equals, not as lessers or greaters in the kingdom? Gifts aren’t given as things but through the relationship of love.

Once again Ellen T. Charry shares,

If we forget the joy of the cessation of craving, or can no longer see God as the surest place to rest, because we are distracted by craving the fruits of our own hands, we may bring upon ourselves the curse of chronic dissatisfaction.

The example of Jesus’ satisfaction

Satisfaction is the difference between Jesus Christ and Lucifer. Jesus understood that he should give all that He had to those poorer than Him (that would be all of us) and that He should not lust for things from those greater than Him (that would be God the Father). Jesus was satisfied in his relationship with the poor and rich. Satan found satisfaction in neither. He saw life as a possession, not a relationship. Notice the contrast in Moses 4:1-3.

Describing Satan, God explained that satan was greedy.

And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

and that he did not want to give his gifts unto the poor.

Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

In the words of D&C 56, do we hear Satan want to lay his hands on God’s honor and that he did not want to give the substance of his agency to those of us less capable than him?

It is interesting to contrast Satan’s words with the Savior’s response to God, the Father, that was the supreme example of satisfaction.

But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.

and His words to Peter and the Apostles in John 13:6-8 show His ability to give relationship to the poorest, that is humanity, in the meekest manner.

Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

One of my favorite elements of the Bible videos on the life of Christ is how well they portray Jesus’ satisfaction in the moment. Satisfaction is freedom - the freedom of controlled emotion. He could act as he needed to maintain His relationship with the Father and His followers. Please take a moment to watch Jesus’ face as he faces his accusers and Judas Iscariot.

How does obedience relate to satisfaction?

The satisfaction that comes from God is what we call morality. J.O. Wobbrock shared,

Morality is entirely relational. When we read the words, ‘sin,’ ‘repentance,’ ‘forgiveness,’ ‘reconciliation,’ ‘grace’… do we think in moral terms? If we do, we misunderstand why these terms have moral weight in the first place. God is not arbitrary. He commands us to avoid sin because there is no sin that is not relational. Sin is sin because it wrecks relationships. … There is no command given that is not for the preservation or restoration of relationships. Of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the first four tell us how to relate to God, the next six tell us how to relate to others. Jesus captures both when he commands that we love God and love our neighbors (Luke 10:27). Are these moral? Or are they moral because they’re relational? God commands repentance because repentance restores our relationship with him. He commands forgiveness because forgiveness restores our relationships with others. He overflows with grace because without it, no relationships can survive. We must cease to view our Christian identities as moral ones. Our identities are relational; morality just serves relationship.³

Blake Ostler in Fire on the Horizon: A Meditation on the Endowment and Love of Atonement shares an insight about commandments that reinforces the concept of relationships.

The word commandment does not refer to a command or military order that must be followed to avoid punishment; rather, the word comes from the Latin comanere, which means to “give assistance” or literally to ** “work hand in hand.”** The commandments “give us a hand” by teaching us how to love one another and thus how to live a life in alignment with being with God in the world. The commandments are merely signposts that show the way of being in the world that is congruent with the nature of happiness. The commandments assist us to embody love as our way of being. It would serve us to see all of God’s commandments in this same light—not as demands and obligations but as hands assisting and guiding us in the way of life that will lead to happiness and salvation.

Conclusion

It is our relationship with Christ that is the ‘fundamental principle of our religion.’ He died and rose again solely to bring the family of God into an enduring oneness with God. This satisfaction of being in His love is the center ‘and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.’ ⁴

The primary appendage to a relationship with Christ is our relationship with others. We find Satisfaction in both relationships. We are fond of teaching the steps of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We walk through the first few steps and then wrap the rest of our lives into the phrase ’endure to the end.’ I fear that some of us think that ’endure to the end’ is a wash and repeat of the first steps over and over again. The first steps of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are foundational for our relationship with Christ and our ability to keep the first great commandment to ’love God with all [our] hearts.’ It is in the ’enduring to the end’ that we get the chance to keep the second great commandment. Through relationships, we can find satisfaction in ’loving [our] neighbors as [ourselves]’ instead of loving things.⁵

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