Have you ever had
a joyful moment? Like when your one year
old baby comes walking up to you with outstretched arms, or when your oldest
child realizes they are a sinner, and they need Jesus to take care of it? I’m pretty sure we all have had joyful
moments. On a personal note, these are
two of my joyful moments.
As
I experience these joyful moments, it got me to thinking. As a parent, obviously, I can not refuse
picking my kiddo who comes up to me with outstretched arms and either a smile or
tears on their face, but it reminded me of Jesus. He was teaching in Judaea one day, and people
from all around were bringing their children to Him so he could touch them. However, Jesus’s disciples were not allowing
it, and rebuking them. When Jesus heard
of it, He was not happy, and said: "Let the children come to me; do not
hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does
not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And he took them in his arms and blessed
them, laying his hands on them.” (Mark 10:1-16). He
also encourages us to run to Him…even if we are struggling. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
If the struggle of…let’s say…fighting
anxiety, stress, and having to be in control is strong, and has a grip on your
heart…. LET GO, AND LET GOD! Remember, that Jesus is your pilot, and
He can and will do amazing things, but we have to move out of the way. I myself struggle with this. For the longest time, I tried putting my
version of Humpty Dumpty (family relationships) together again. However, after it finally sunk in, I realized
all I could do was pray. Oh yes, my
prayer is that relationships would be restored and healed. I would be lying if I said my heart is not
hurt over the fact that my family’s relationship, as a whole, is broken. However, I have peace that God is in control
now, and in HIS PERFECT TIME, He will move.
In the meantime: I just have to
follow the instructions of I
Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Philippians 4:4-7, which tells us to: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”, and….”Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
rejoice. Let your reasonableness be
known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Besides telling us to run to Him
in prayer, and not fret, Jesus commands us to “REJOICE” a total of 3
times! Isn’t it amazing that Jesus wants
us to have joyful hearts rather than saddened and depressed hearts?
All we have to do is run into His
outstretched arms, as my one year old does with me, and He not only will give
us rest and joy, but peace as well.
How do we rejoice? Well, I honestly can not answer that for you,
because we all have different methods and tools, but I will tell you what works
for me. I tend to be on the pessimistic
side of things at times. I was
particularly that way when I was in college. However, I had a mentor who was a father
figure to me, and he taught me reverse psychology. He showed me to look on the positive side of
things. Where my family is concerned, I
can rejoice that 1) I have a family.
2) We love each other, and are
serving our Lord and Savior in different ways with our talents. 3)
Although we do not stay in contact or see each other as much as I would
like, we do communicate, and cherish those far and in between moments. I also journal. Both regular and Bible journaling has allowed
me to communicate thoughts and feelings in a way that is difficult for me to do
so verbally. It also allows me the
opportunity to spend time with my Heavenly Father, laying my burdens down at
His feet, and for Him to once again, take the reins. I’m sure there are other tools that I have
that I am not thinking of at the moment, but the final one that comes to mind
is music. I CAN NOT get enough music. This is one way that Jesus pursues me. He reminds me of what I need to be doing at
that given time, or just reminding me I am loved. It is an awesome feeling to know and be
reminded that you are loved and cherished…and not forgotten.
I don’t know what all is going
on in your lives today, but I pray and give you a challenge. I pray that you would turn your eyes on Jesus
and run to Him for whatever you need. He
wants to take your burden, and give you peace.
He wants to be your Heavenly Father.
If you never have asked Him to be that, it’s easy as pie. There is nothing you can do to earn
salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” All that one has to do is A.B.C.
A – Admit
that you are a sinner
B – Believe
that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins
C – Confess
with your mouth that He is Lord
For the challenge, sit down.
Ponder on how to be more optimistic, and find ways to help you with
that. With whatever you are struggling
with, Let Go, And Let God. Trust me, it is not going to be easy letting
Jesus take over. I myself have to lay my
burdens down at HIS feet multiple times. But have no fear. Jesus says in Hebrews 13:5b/6b: “…I will never leave you nor
forsake you. “…The Lord is my helper; I will not
fear; what can man do to me?” Jesus is
waiting for you…“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the
door, I will come in to him and
eat with him, and he with me,” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus will save and help you in everything and anything. All you have to do is ask.
Serving with Unfilmed Eyes,
The Girl On A Mission
