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."

Marinating in the Word

"He doesn't want us to just meditate on His Word; you might say he wants us to marinate in it!"

 

What a strong mental picture has just been painted in my mind. Can you picture it...

 

The big BBQ is planned for Saturday and it's going to be a celebration. There will be corn on the cob, baked potatoes, pasta salad, potato salad, sweet tea, brownies, cookies, and ice cream. Because this is a special BBQ, there won't be any hamburgers or hot dogs. Instead we are going to have steak and chicken! Saturday morning, or maybe even Friday night, the meat is completely submerged in a homemade marinade. The juices and seasonings are soaked deep into the meat in order to give it the richest flavor possible.

 

Are you hungry yet?

 

A few months ago I was struggling with several different things and I was completely lost in what I should do. There were many sleepless nights; four a.m. and I became really good friends. There were times throughout the day that I became overwhelmed with emotion. And, I didn't want to be around people.

 

The only thing I knew to do was immerse myself in the only constant we have here on earth, the Word. I had two Bible studies going at one time. Prayer was essential all day long. And throughout the day, no matter where I was, I would read scripture from the Bible app on my phone. (There's one way that a smart phone can be used to glorify God!)

 

I was marinating my soul in the Word so that the rich flavors of Jesus Christ would be alive in my life. And I'm happy to report that I have returned to a state of joy with a heart full of God's love.  

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

~John 15:11

 

"I keep the Lord in my mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely. You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures."

~Psalm 16:8,9,11

 

Overcoming Heaviness

"Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne."
Hebrews 12:1-2

For the last three months, burdens have weighed me down. My nature is to help people and solve problems; and my natural personality is to worry and become anxious. The heaviness causes me to lose focus on the positives surrounding me and I begin to feel out of control. So the first thought that jumps at me from this scripture is to "lay aside every weight" ... To give up control... To know that Jesus Christ bears my burdens... I need to be reminded of this regularly; it is an ongoing struggle in my life.

As the heaviness of burdens overwhelm me, the word JOY leaps out. Jesus Christ endured the ultimate suffering on the cross, and He did it with joy. I've been looking at prayer a lot recently, and I've studied the prayer of Jesus at Gethsemane just before Judas betrayed Him. Overcome with sorrow and the heaviness of the burden He was carrying, Jesus asked God to take it away. This is so familiar to me! But Jesus knew he had to endure the pain to fulfill God's plan so He ends the prayer with "Yet not as I will, but as You will." How difficult that must have been for Him to say. How difficult that is for me to say in my own prayer life when I'm begging God to change my circumstances! I've been challenged recently to use this phrase in my prayer life to turn my attitude toward God's will, away from my own will, and to find joy in heartache.

Recently I have been encouraged by fellow believers. These are people that don't know me, but I see love in their actions. Even though I haven't shared what's on my heart, they have asked how I'm doing and wait to actually hear an answer. They've prayed for me and with me. And I've been pushed out of my comfort zone more than once in recent months. I thank God for them. I watch in amazement as God performs miracles in each of their lives and I desire to be a part of it. It is such an encouragement to be surrounded by "a large cloud of witnesses"; it's something I've been missing for a very long time.

After laying aside the weights, focusing on the joy of fulfilling God's will for my life, and leaning on the cloud of witnesses surrounding me, I will be able to "run with endurance the race."

I'm definitely not perfect, but I strive towards the perfection of Christ every day. These verses tell me how to overcome the heaviness of the burdens that sometimes paralyze me. Hopefully, I can use even the difficult circumstances to bring glory to God.

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.

The Call to Rejoice

When I went to read my Bible this morning, God took me to Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer." If I believed in chance it would be ironic that this verse was in front of me. However, I believe in God's sovereignty.

The theme of God's message to me over the last few weeks has been to find contentment in Him, remember that His timing is always perfect, and choose joy. Back in July I wrote about this verse and was focused on hope. This time I read it and He tells me to rejoice. What an easy thing to say, but such a hard thing to do when the stress is overwhelming and the heart is heavy.

I decided to go back and read the entire chapter to make sure I understood the context of the verse. I found not only that I need to choose joy, but discerning God's will for my life also involves sacrifice, gifts, and love.

My mission statement, if I were ever to take the time to write one, might be drawn from Romans 12:

1. To offer myself as a living sacrifice

2. To choose transformation of my mind so that I can discern the perfect will of God

3. To think sensibly

4. To use the spiritual gifts He gracefully chose to give me

5. To love without hypocrisy

6. To choose joy in affliction

7. To choose to bless people by empathizing with their ups and downs, not curse them

8. To choose humility over pride

9. To take care of my enemies in their time of need

10. To conquer evil with good


I purposefully repeat that I choose these actions. As a great father, God teaches me but then gives me the free will to make my own choices. There are rewards and consequences for every choice I make. The reward I seek is a life that is "holy and pleasing to God" so that I am able to "discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God" for my life. (v. 1-2)

I do not always understand where circumstances in my life are taking me. And honestly, I get impaitient with the waiting. But if I choose to believe that God is in control, I know I can find the ability to rejoice.

Soul Candy

I hate leaving home even if it is something good. Leaving my house, my furry babies, and the land of familiarity brings a lot of unnecessary anxiety. There are no explanations for why I feel this way; it really is just a part of my personality. And generally once I get to my destination I am just fine!

Last week I attempted to take advantage of time away at training to look for soul candy. Anxiety would not get the best of me!

Soul candy is when God chooses to either reveal himself to me in different ways or allows me to experience things that I love.


Of course I was able to find some...

 

Everyone knows Fall is my favorite time of year. It just so happens that the trees have all been changing colors over the last week. Therefore, a three hour drive to my destination was perfect for enjoying God's beautiful canvas. Every time I came around a curve or over a hill, there was a new painting of reds, yellows, oranges, and greens. It was absolutely beautiful every time. I never get tired of it! 

Candy really helps strangers become friends, especially cherry flavored Twizzlers. My cheap little bribe (along with a shared interest in sarcasm) definitely worked. 

 

I ended up meeting some fun people! Nothing bonds Missourians quite like a Cardinals playoff game; so after training we headed to a bar and grill for food, drinks, and sports. Good thing the Cardinals won that night!

 

The people in this town were especially friendly. Everywhere I went people were smiling; joy really is contagious. However, I do wish that they would quit calling me 'maam'! This is a new trend that I have noticed since turning 30. Apparently, I now also look older and the youngins are no longer including me in their peer group. Positive... they were polite and had good manners. Negative... the manners made me feel 'older.'

 

I was very impressed with the hotel. It was probably one of the nicest hotels I've been put in for training. The check-in girl was very chipper and friendly, which this starving and exhausted girl definitely appreciated. My room was clean and updated. There was even a little stuffed animal that greeted me from the bed when I walked into the room! There was a gorgeous clubhouse with a pool right outside my window. It was way too cold to swim, but it was pretty. And the whole hotel was decorated to elicit the feeling of a mountain cottage get-a-way.

 

 

I did not sleep in the hotel very well; I never do. I missed my furry babies at night. There is always one positioned on my feet and the other by my side. It sure was nice to know that they missed me too!

The positive attitude spilled over into my weekend. It was jam packed with fun, friends, family, and worship. I want to do it again!

It is so amazing how God reveals His love for me when I'm actively looking. I had a lot of soul candy this week! I enjoyed a canvas of Fall colors during a 3 hour drive; I made some fun new friends; strangers were friendly and joyful; it was affirmed that my babies need me; and then I spent time with people I love doing things I love.

Praying that it continues to overflow into the coming week.