Going Good Blues

I'm pretty sure I could have one of the strangest fears of all fears... The fear of being too happy.

 

I love Reba. I'm not necessarily talking about Reba McEntire the country singer (even though she is one of the classiest women in entertainment.) But I love Reba, the sitcom. In one of the episodes, Reba perfectly described this very unique fear of mine... 'the going good blues.'

 

What are the 'going good blues'?

"The feeling we all get when things are going really good, but we're just waiting for things to go bad." ~Reba

Perhaps my fear isn't necessarily of being happy as much as what comes after the natural high of things going well, feeling blessed, and having fun. If I allow myself to feel joy, success, enjoyment, satisfaction, delight, contentment... Then sadness, grief, disappointment, dissatisfaction, and discontentment might soon follow.

That's really what I want to avoid.

However, I can tell you from experience that completely shutting off emotions in order to avoid the negative feelings is also not a fun place to be. It's lonely there and there's no satisfaction in it.

It is not the Lord's will that we live in fear, especially the fear of being happy. He wants us to celebrate the blessings He has given us and the salvation we have found in Him. Christ tells us in John, "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." (John 15:11)

So, in the words of Reba, "The key is not to worry about what could go wrong, but just enjoy all the things that are going right."

Will This Be The One

2013! A new year! Hopefully, I'm not the only one that thinks that sounds strange.

The idea of a new year has been consuming my thoughts. "New" indicates change. Change is very difficult for me; good or bad it can be stressful. But I feel I'm at a point in my life that I want change to happen.

I want to continue moving forward. I want to grow. I do not want to remain the same or to become complacent with where I am at in life.

In my devotion a few weeks ago, the question was asked "What was the year that changed your life?" What year brought divine revelations that forever changed your relationship with Christ? Have you had one yet?

"Pray this is one." Pray this is the year that you will be forever changed.

I am not one to declare new year's resolutions; but I do know I want to be better. I want to be a better daughter, a better sister, a better friend, a better supervisor, a better listener, a better helper, a better giver... a better Christian. I want to be full of joy.

The way I will be "better" is to draw closer to God and to lose myself in His will. It is there that I will find peace, comfort, and joy, no matter what happens.

"Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh."

Psalms 144:15

 

"...and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy."

Proverbs 16:20

 

"I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete."

John 15:11

 

If anyone asks what I hope to accomplish this year, my only hope is that I am able to complete God's will for me every day.