Happy and Hope-filled

Isaiah 30:18 "But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you.God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones."(Message)

Proverbs 15:13 "A glad heart makes a cheerful face"

Psalm 126:2 "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.Then it was said among the nations, The LORD has done great things for them."

Proverbs 31:25 "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs at days to come!"

Malachi 1:5 "Yes, take a good look. Then you'll see how faithfully I've loved you and you'll want even more, saying, 'May GOD be even greater..."(Message)

1 Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

"If you are experiencing confusion, pain, and suffering, it may be that God is working things out for you in His own way. It is most often the sovereign work of our God unfolding a master plan known only to Him." - David Wilkerson

Psalm 18:19

"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."

Lord, may I always dance in freedom in that spacious place, captivated by Your unfailing love and delight for me! I'm in awe of You!!

Ps. My very very talented Momma painted this picture for me! She gave it to me today and I absolutely LOVE it!

Philippians 4:4-5 Graciousness

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near." (HCSB)

Graciousness:

*Characterized by kindness and warm courtesy.
*Characterized by tact and propriety
*Of a merciful or compassionate nature.
*Marked by kindness, sympathy, and unaffected politeness

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand" (ESV)

Reasonableness:

*Capable of reasoning; rational: a reasonable person
*Governed by or being in accordance with reason or sound thinking
*Being within the bounds of common sense
*Not excessive or extreme; fair

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." (NIV)

Gentleness:

*Acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered
*Considerate or kindly in disposition; amiable and tender.
*Not harsh or severe; mild and soft

I have been thinking about, meditating on, and studying these verses all afternoon. It has definitely been piercing my heart. I started out meditating on verses 6-8. You know, the ones about worrying about nothing and filling your mind with good things? Anyway, these verses caught my eye. There they were sitting directly before "Don't worry about anything... "

So...

When it says to be gracious/reasonable/gentle to all, it's talking about to all people, huh?

Even the ones that rub me the wrong way.
Even the ones that irritate the poo out of me.
Even the ones who aren't gracious/reasonable/gentle.
Even the ones who have hurt me.
Even the ones that are unkind to me.
Even the ones that are unkind to those I love.
Even the ones that might be manipulative or selfish.
Even the ones who are not behaving in ways that I might deem worthy of my gracious/reasonable/gentle behavior.
Even the one I married.
Even the ones I birthed.

It's talking about all people! It's saying that I need to make it evident to them, to make it known to them; that in Christ, I am a joyful, gracious, reasonable, gentle person. And if that is truth (which it is), then that means that I must be gracious/reasonable/gentle in all things and rejoice in Him always...

Even when I'm mad.
Even when things don't go my way.
Even when I'm in a bad mood.
Even when I'm tired.
Even when I'm hurt.
Even when I'm hormonal and PMSing big time.
Even when I'm cranky.
Even when I feel wronged.
Even when I'm stressed.
Even when I'm feeling protective.
Even when I'm wrong.
Even when I know I'm definitely right.

Good grief, that's like a holy 2x4 to the head.

Then I got to thinking...I'll bet, if I truly lived out Philippians 4:4-5, then verse 6 wouldn't be as diffcult. If I truly lived in such a way that I rejoiced in the LORD always, and my graciousness was evident to all, because the LORD is near, I'll bet I would worry a whole lot less. Because when I'm truly living verse 4 and 5...verse 8 will come naturally. And I don't know about you, but when I'm dwelling and thinking and meditating on all those good Godly things, it's impossible for me to worry.

Philippians 4:4-8 " 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things."

Honestly...

I was reading Jon Acuff's blog today and this section jumped out at me.
I'm quoting from "miserable god" by Jon Acuff ~

"This is what I am wrestling with right now, the continued realization that I’ve made God into an emo god. I know how to cry with Him, but not laugh. I know how to mourn with Him but not dance. And I think the enemy wants that. He wants us to be ashamed or embarrassed by the great ways God blesses us and reject compliments and think that God can only hold us and mold us in times of great hurt.

But when we do that, we miss who God is.

That He is the God who loves us so much He sent His son to die for us. (John 3:16)

That He is the God who longs to be gracious to us and rises in the morning to show us compassion. (Isaiah 30:18) That He is the God who satisfies our desires with good things. (Psalm 103:5) That He is the God who delights in the well-being of His servant. (Psalm 35:27)

Does God teach us in difficult moments? Have we not been promised that in this world there will be trouble? Without a doubt.

But when we confine God’s love and lessons strictly to a classroom of misery we create a miserable god.

And that’s not who He is."

Honestly, this is what I'm wrestling with right now...

...It's easy for me to talk about, or blog about, the hard lessons He has taught me, or the difficult times He has brought me through. It's so much more difficult for me to talk about, or blog about, the GREAT, awesome, amazing, joyful things God is bringing me through and doing for me. Why? Why is that so difficult for me? Why do I cringe when someone gives me a compliment regarding something awesome that the Lord is doing in my life? I have beat myself up over and over again, asking myself this very question. Why?

The truth of the matter is this, sometimes I feel like I'm spending my life waiting on the next shoe-from-heaven to drop. I mean that with no disrespect intended at all, but in complete honesty. There are days I think, "Life is going pretty good right now. I wonder when my next "lesson" is coming and what it's going to entail?" And then that old overwhelming sense of anxiety sneaks up and grips me once more. I know that's wrong. I'm not proud.

Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful for the things that He has shown me through my difficult times. If I could go back and have my youngest two children with me on this earth, without a moment's hesitation, I would. If I could go back and have a head full of hair (even the wild curls that I always said I hated), without a doubt, I would. However, if going back meant that I would take away all the things He has revealed to me about Himself and His love for me through those hard times, I would never! Those lessons have been the very things that make me the woman I am today. He has done so much through each one of those hard times, that even though I don't understand it all, I'm beginning to see that all things truly do work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I know He has been so faithful through it all. I know that He is using those times of deep despair to bring Himself glory, and I'm thankful.

The problem comes when I don't fully enjoy the good things He gives me, for fear of what's next. When I fail to see the lessons in the joy and happiness He brings. When the good things come, and I await the hard that is surely to follow. And the thing is, I have begun to expect the hard with an "after all, it's His Will, and His will is hard" attitude, followed by the sin of worry and anxiety.

But, when I do that, the thing I fail to embrace is that He doesn't see me as simply the victim of His will. I'm His child, His little girl. He wants the best for me, because He loves me. Will His best always look the way I think it should? No. Will His best be difficult at times? Yes. Will His best always work to the good, even when it doesn't feel good? Yes. That said, will His best sometimes be my happiness? YES! Will His best sometimes be joyful blessings poured out on me filling my whole being with unspeakable joy? YES!!!

I need to walk in this truth, step it out, dig it up in the Word, sow it deep into the very marrow of my bones. I need to dance in the spacious place He has for me, live in the freedom He brings, daily reveling in His amazing love. I need to walk with Him every moment, good and bad, giving praise to Him no matter what! I need to not be afraid to rejoice in the good times and to tell others so they too can rejoice. Because, my very existence is for the purpose of making His name famous, to bring Him all the honor glory and praise! And when the Word of God says that we will conquer the enemy by the blood the Lamb and the word of our testimony(Rev.12:11), that includes the hard times AND the joyful times!

Now....I don't say all that to say I have it figured out and it's a lesson I have learned. That's far from truth. As I said before, it's something I'm wrestling with right now. I'm working it out with the Lord. So for right now, I'm going to get off the computer, sit down with my Bible and a good cup of coffee, and revel in the unsurpassing love of my Savior....Praise you, Jesus!