Condition of the Human Heart

A couple of years ago, I was binge watching a TV show and as I came to the last episode of the show, I had a deep emptiness in my heart. An emptiness that the show had temporarily distracted and yet, one that resurfaced as quickly as it ended.

My heart was thirsting for something. This condition of the human heart led me on a search for permanent satisfaction. I remember living life as if I couldn’t participate in the moment I existed in. My mind was too deeply attached to the past and to the future to focus on the present moment. This condition of the human heart left me thirsting for more. This condition I would argue is a symptomatic thirst of the human heart to be quenched by the creator of the human person.

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

-C.S. Lewis

In other words, I would argue that if the things of the world cannot fulfill the deepest desire of the human heart, then perhaps our hearts were made for something greater.

What is this “greater” thing?

It is love, a pure love that is rare on this earth which explains the symptomatic emptiness of the heart. When we are loved by a friend or family member, we feel happy. It is a need of the human being. Not a want, but a need. Like air to the body is love to the soul. Yet, nothing on this earth is capable of loving us wholly, fully, and permanently. I would argue that if our human person could be loved, wholly, fully, and permanently, the emptiness of the human disposition would fade away.

Where can we find such a love as this?

It does not exist in a human person, because a human person is broken, empty, and also thirsting for the same love you are thirsting for. We look for this love in relationships and find ourselves disappointed when the man or woman cannot provide a complete love that our heart desires. They cannot provide complete attention to the human heart or complete affection. So, we are left wondering again. What can satisfy? Perhaps, alcohol or drugs or TV can distract us from this very core need. When I binge watch a show, I forget that I need to eat. Yet, as soon as the show ends, the hunger resurfaces. Similarly, the hunger for love resurfaces no matter how much I distract my heart.

We need to be loved permanently, moment to moment. This love is what we seek day to day and the very need we distract ourselves from because we cannot quench it. This love is necessary for full expression and full security.

But, where do we find this love?

Read More Here: Chains of the Human Heart