Yellow 🙂
So throughout my life both on and off the race I have gone through ups and downs where I am “feeling” or “not feeling” God.
Thank God the norm is feeling Him, above that is EXUBERANCE and below is not quite feeling God.
The latter only happens 10% or less of the days. Still, I couldn’t figure it out. I know I want him, but feeling the overflowing passion and zest isn’t always there.
So what is the correct response in those hard times and why do they happen to me specifically?
I don’t think there is one answer here. I also think being in this place is not “bad” or “wrong”. It just may not be as pleasant.
I also don’t question Gods love for me, or really anything that’s truth about God, I know he’s the same yesterday today and forever. I know and believe he cherishes me. I Just don’t feel it at that particular moment.
Good thing my faith isn’t a feeling.
~~
Recently God spoke something to me. “Jake, Joy is your Jam. Your life theme. Your life juice that gets you going and keeps you going. It makes you alive. Makes you Jake. It’s your biggest gift. It’s the gate that opens up the rest of my world to you. It’s the thing that allows you an ability to witness and affect every single person you come into contact with. It shows the world Me. Don’t avoid it, embrace it :). It’s a free overflowing gift, there’s always more where that came from.”
Jesus pursues me with joy, gives me joy freely, that leads me into freedom and abundant life….Nice :).
I realize one of the reasons I’ve been drained or am some days below feeling God is that I try to do things outside of enjoying God. It’s like knowing there is the best amazing theme park, but sill trying out the local circus because maybe there’s something salvageable there for me.
But Joy IS my gate to learn, grow and function in everything else. It’s the key to understanding God more for me. In other words, I learn about God by enjoying him. It’s my most essential gift from Jesus to me and from me to the world. To pretend like I don’t need it, want it, or crave it is hogwash. I do.
This race had been themed with one thing from start to finish for me. Enjoying God, enjoying people and enjoying life that’s around me. It’s actually been my theme a while, my old one for the last 5 years has been Love God. Love people. Love Life. It’s not much different ha. These are my only God goals – to pursue these daily and ask God what’s next.
I get into trouble though because sometimes I feel like I should be doing “other things” than enjoying God. I used to even feel guilty for enjoying him so much because other people don’t seem to. I try out other things – maybe I should explore my spiritual gifts? Maybe work on patience? Maybe work on leadership? Maybe do whatever ha?
I forget to just simply enjoy him, and load up my agenda with lot of spiritual workouts for other things. Not surprising, this is the 10% when I don’t feel God.
God is thinking I’m silly because let’s be honest what is better than BEING with him, enjoying him? That in fact IS the goal AND the destination. At least for me :). Keep it simple, keep it childlike, just believe it don’t worry why.
Recess with Jesus. Always joy, joy and more joy.
Its the way he made me as well as who he’s solidifying me into as a man of God. It’s definitely supernatural because most average joes don’t get it like God has given it here.
I sometimes view all these gifts as a graft chart and the categories I’m lowest in I need to work on most.
Wrong. It seems that God thinks the opposite sometimes. Like if I may be an 80 or 90/100 in a category (Using video game ‘create-a-player’ terms), he’d rather make it a 120/100. As in he wants that category so oozing and overflowing that it becomes OBVIOUS something is going on.
That clicks. That makes sense. It should be undeniable that I am a Christian. So maybe if one area is bursting because the meter is so high, people will take notice and at least ask what’s going on.
Jesus made famous.
It’s simple, I enjoy God, the world sees Jesus in my joy, the real Jesus is introduced to this needy earth. Repeat. On and on…
It looks like I found what I’m doing after the world race, for a career, and the rest of my life 🙂
I believe that Joy is MY jam. I also believe that it’s NOT everyone’s. Find your Jam. God is a personal God, he knows us so well (psalm 139), he wants to demonstrate all his gifts through us, to the world, so he will be made known. So it makes sense that every one may experience and overflow in any Jesus category. Or maybe your jam is balance. Either way, find it and use it to make your savior known to this world. Jesus is already all over that train so just join him, it will probably than you think. Jesus isn’t out to make life hard on you. What are you great at? What comes easy for you? What do you like and find interesting or enjoyable in Gods kingdom? That might be a good place to start.
***One thing I want to note. Joy is not greater than Jesus. Jesus is all, he is it, nothing more is needed. He is the prize, not the joy that comes from serving him. I don’t serve Jesus just so I can be joyful. I do however find joy in serving him, and it’s been made clear that he wants me that way so he can move among the world. Love is also greater than Joy, but all I’m saying is I love MUCH better when I’m joyful.
So if you see me grinning goofy, whistling, singing, head bobbing, laughing, celebrating, dancing or just smiling…
Just know I be Joy Jammin’,
Jakers
Sent from my iPhone
