Archive for joy
perspective
I’ve been wrestling lately with what specifically I’d like to write/blog about. Have you ever had one of those seasons, days, weeks where there were so many things going on around you that you felt like you just needed to sit down and somehow try to capture those moments on paper or in your mind? This past week has been one of those for me…
Erwin McManus shares some great insight on times like this in his book, Chasing Daylight. He discusses how life is constantly in motion, made up the moments that come our way and what we do with those moments. For some, we love to take photographs, capture moments, relive experiences. However, photographs are simply still-shots of a life, an event in motion. And you can’t stay there…which for some of us is somewhat a depressing thought.Yet, I truly believe there’s a deep need in our lives - not to relive moments, finding yourself stuck in your past - but to capture, to seize the full weight of moments that come along in our lives. Our word Moment comes from the Greek word atomos, which is also where we get our English words atom and atomic. The details and weight of moments. Think about that…
In Judges 6:14, God tells Gideon, Go in the strength that you have…and honestly, some days that’s all you can do, right? Lately, I’ve been struggling to find strength, to feel strong as a man, a husband, a father, a friend, a pastor. I’ve been crying out to God for strength, and most days just for sufficient strength for the day. During this time, I’ve kept this verse near me, daily, that reminds me where real, lasting strength comes from - Nehemiah 8:10: …This is a sacred day…for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy. Strength. There’s a connection.
So, this week has been full of some rich moments for me, moments where had I not sat down for an hour or so a few mornings ago to write them down, would have easily passed through my memory. Moments which have contained so much atomic energy, that by capturing them, I suddenly feel new strength for the journey ahead.
I wanted to share just a few of these moments from my journal this week, joyous moments that have served to breathe fresh life into my heart…
- …a smooth, better-than-expected transition for Molly, Julia and I last week as Molly returned to work and the great care that Julia has during the day with family and friends who are keeping her
- …an unexpected financial gift this week that came at just the right time for us
- …my mother-in-law returning home after fighting through some recent health difficulties
…the engagement of two of our good friends this past weekend, our privilege of being part of their lives and part of the event, and the honor of being asked to officiate their wedding at the end of the year - …conversations with students on the Guilford College Campus last week and new relationships God has given me there
- …a conversation with my friend Kate - also at Guilford - and for a great new friendship with her
- …time with my dad and my family last week
- …an invitation to be trained this year in helping people discover their strengths and their true potential
- …work of the Holy Spirit in our church community as we seem to be turning some corners and the hope of what’s ahead as we lean forward
When I look over these moments, it’s not that they’re much different than other moments we experience from any given week. The difference is perspective - how we’re seeing the things around us. One of the words I’d use to describe the Greek translation for Glory (doxa or dokeo) is perspective, or to think. And what I think is that life is filled with moments where we find strength - long-lasting strength or sufficient strength - when we discover the presence of God and the joy that awaits us in the moments of a day.
Savor
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God. –Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
Are there moments in life right now where you find yourself “watching from a distance,” feeling as if some of the best moments are simply passing you by? Are you finding yourself busy trying just to make ends meet, trying so hard to get ahead…all with the hope of being able to enjoy things later? If so, you may also be finding yourself overwhelmed and spiritually exhausted in your pursuit for enjoyment and satisfaction. And the most frustrating thing is when we finally reach those moments we’ve been looking forward to, we sometimes lack the energy and the right attitude to fully enjoy them as we’d hoped to – what a let-down!
That describes a lot of people. Maybe you. Definitely me some days. What do we do?
Let me change the question a bit: How well are you ‘savoring’ your life? How many times in a day do you find yourself taking a deep breath, soaking up the view of the things around you and the beauty that’s right in front of you? The problem with many of us is that we’re working so hard to enjoy things later that we forget that we’re meant to enjoy things NOW. Look again at Ecclesiastes 3:12-13.
This past weekend, I had the privilege of officiating a wedding for some new friends of mine here in Greensboro. Something I’ve begun adding to the ceremonies I do is having the couple take just a few moments to look around and ‘savor’ the moment. About half-way through the ceremony, I asked them to take a deep breath and look around. It’s kind of awkward at first, until you see them crack a smile when they make eye contact with a few folks in attendance. Yet, it always seems to lighten the atmosphere a bit, helping the couple to lay-back and enjoy the next few moments. So often in a wedding, everyone is focused on doing things just right, not messing up, that they actually miss the beauty of what’s taking place around them. That’s not only true with weddings, it’s true in life.
Also this past weekend, Molly and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary (also, Jonathan & Jennifer Pugh celebrated their 1st!). Part of our celebration included taking some time to write down our “Top 10 things we love most about each other.” I can’t begin to tell you how gratifying that experience was for both of us as we took time to ‘savor’ our marriage through the things we find so beautiful about our marriage and each other.
The wisdom of the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that every pursuit for enjoyment in life is meaningless unless we begin finding it in the things that are right in front of us. If you were to take time to ‘savor’ the life around you right now, what would you see? What would you discover? 1 Timothy 6:17 tells us that God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. And I believe one of the greatest ways we return glory and worship to our Creator is to find enjoyment in the present…not allowing another moment to slip by unnoticed and unappreciated.
Savor today!
being a eucharist
Perhaps this Easter Sunday you found yourself somewhere celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus and the fact that the tomb is empty, that Jesus is alive and is risen so that we might have life. (However you celebrated this past week, I hope it was rich in meaning for you.) Easter brings with it a time filled with deep significance and celebration for Jesus-followers, reminding us of the purpose of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, but also reminding us of our purpose as His followers.
Central to our understanding of what it means to be a Christian (a Jesus-follower) is found in the familiar words of John 3:16. There, we are told that God has given…He has given us a Gift, and that Gift is His Son, His One and Only, the Only Begotten, Jesus. And that through Him, He gives the gift of abundant, everlasting life to all who believe.
If you celebrated Easter with a church-community recently, you more than likely observed The Lord’s Supper, or Communion. As Christians we meditate and reflect on this gift and what it means to us through by periodically taking of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, otherwise known as the Eucharist. It’s our way, as commanded by Jesus, to remember His body that was broken and His blood that was poured out so that we might have life…and to be thankful.
the central issue
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been engaged in a discussion with our Tuesday night gathering centered around the life (true, abundant, ‘better life than you’ve ever dreamed of’ life) that Jesus comes to offer us, and how that life is opposed. Why? Because there is a thief. In the same breath that Jesus tells us that He has come to offer us life (John 10:10), He also tells us that it is, and will continue to be fiercely opposed by the enemy, the thief, Satan himself.
Take a careful look around you, and you’ll see a world at war. Good things like marriages, families, friendships and whole church communities, excitement about big news and big dreams – all under attack in some way, whether through discouragement, disagreements, divisions, disappointment, etc. To put it clearer, anywhere you find something good (of God) you’ll find something opposing it in some way, whether big or small. Think about your life and the lives of those around you. Where do you see this happening?
No other topic in Scripture (Old & New Testament) is discussed more than ‘the heart.’ This seems to point to something significant that God is trying to say to us all; that our hearts are central to life and that our hearts matter to Him. It’s almost as if the words of Proverbs 4:23 sums it all up: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” And Jesus comes to restore our hearts from the brokenness we’re born into so that we may HAVE life. Therefore, because of the importance of your heart, you can bet your heart (the center of who you are, including your passions, desires and ambition for God) WILL be opposed.
Here’s the point: to lay hold of this life that Jesus speaks of means that you must fight for it with all your heart. Our community has not been exempt from the opposition of the thief, bringing various struggles, doubts and discouragement along the way, including frequent attacks on marriages and hearts. But as I have to remind myself of daily, this is a fight that is SO worth it, because once you’ve tasted of this life of Jesus, you want others to taste as well, and that’s why this new church community exists.
I challenge and encourage you to fight for this life that Jesus makes available with all your heart, not only for yourself, but for the sake of those depending on you. And as we continue our journey, pray that we’ll have the strength daily to focus on and claim the good of God, to fight for our hearts well as a community and to see the hearts of more and more come alive to the Good News of the Risen One, Jesus.
Chris Shelton resides in Greensboro with his wife, Molly, their daughter, Julia, and Baby #2 due in March...
