Have you ever felt like things just weren’t the way they should be? Does something constantly feel “off” in some way? Dominic Done, in Your Longing Has a Name, makes a solid case for the fact that you should feel that way. Actually, since Genesis 3, the whole world has been that way and it won’t be made right until Jesus returns. This book can be a balm to your soul as it points to the longing each of us have in our heart to be in a right relationship with Jesus Christ.
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…
A disordered soul is perpetually weary. p. 4
Flourishing flows from identity. If you want your soul to thrive, first accept who you are: passionately loved and relentlessly pursued by God. Then you can step into the story of who you were meant to be. p. 8
As God sees it, you are: his child (John 1:12) his friend (John 15:15) his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) his handiwork (Ephesians 2:10) his joy (Zephaniah 3:17) his delight (Psalm 18: 19) his body (1 Corinthians 12:27) his bride (Revelation 21:9) p. 11
In a moment when the majority of us rarely feel rested, Peter’s exhaustion is a timely warning— sometimes the most urgent need for our souls is physical rest.6 Theologian D. A. Carson underscored the profound interconnection our physicality has on our interior life: We are whole, complicated beings; our physical existence is tied to our spiritual well-being, to our mental outlook, to our relationships with others, including our relationship with God. Sometimes the godliest thing you can do in the universe is get a good night’s sleep. p. 46
As you begin the journey, remember that God’s invitation for the flourishing life is not just for our own sake; it’s for the flourishing of others too. Again, think of David’s tree in Psalm 1:3; the further your roots go into the heart of God, the more fruit will burst out of you. It’s inevitable. Your heart, like Jesus, will naturally scatter shalom everywhere you go. As Frederick Buechner explained, God wants you to thrive so that you can be a blessing to others: “The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”12 What is your deep gladness? What makes you come alive? What tugs at your heart and makes you think, I was made for this? p. 54
As the public intellectual Miroslav Volf described: “Faith is an expression of the fact that we exist so that the infinite God can dwell in us and work through us for the well-being of the whole creation.” p. 54
Your faith will become sight, your soul will flourish, and your character will look most like Jesus in the place where your gladness and the world’s needs collide. p. 55
From the opening lines of Genesis, where God pronounced his creation “good,” to the final book of Revelation, where he restores goodness to a creation that had become corrupt, virtually every page of the Bible characterizes God as the standard and wellspring of good: Moses, I want you to know who I am—not just theoretically but intimately. I want you to gaze on me and see what goodness looks like (Exodus 33:19). p. 62
Your life flows in the direction of your deepest loves. p. 102
The energy you attach yourself to, the people you choose to hear, can either make you invincible or invisible. They have an overwhelming impact on your staying power in your work, school, church, or community. Proverbs 13:20 counsels us: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” OUR LIFE BENDS TO THE SOUND OF ITS LOUDEST VOICES. Our life bends to the sound of its loudest voices. p. 126
Our lives are built by the voices we hear. It’s why they matter. But God speaks louder. Even if your story has been carved by voices of hate, bitterness, judgment, gossip, or indifference, your heavenly Father thunders: You belong. He speaks identity: You’re my son. My daughter. He speaks goodness: You’re forgiven. He speaks knowledge: You’re wanted. He speaks self-control: You’re free. He speaks perseverance: You’re able. He speaks love: You’re mine. p. 129
The focus of your thoughts determines the framework of your life. Repetition becomes reflex. Reflex becomes routine. Routine becomes action. Action becomes identity. p. 138
Gratitude is war. Gratitude turns disorder into order and chaos into clarity. It unlocks your perspective and releases you into the fullness of life. p. 147
The gospel is about a God who abandons everything, rushes to the other side of the road, pulls us into his arms, clothes us with grace, and welcomes us home. As Frederick Buechner exclaimed in one of his sermons, “Turn around and believe that the good news that we are loved is better than we ever dared hope, and that to believe in that good news, to live out of it and toward it, to be in love with that good news, is of all glad things in this world—the gladdest thing of all.” p. 184
He sees a masterpiece in you and is going to set it free. As James K. A. Smith wrote: Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into your mind; he is after nothing less than your wants, your loves, your longings . . . To follow Jesus is to become a student of the Rabbi who teaches us how to love. p. 186
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5–7) Through the power of the Holy Spirit, let’s go, live it out, and come alive to the story you were made for. p. 191
