A Lesson Learned: by Robin Thomas
I hate flies.
I turn in to a raging ninja with a fly swatter when I see flies. This morning I woke up to a dozen or so attempting a coup d'état of my kitchen. My thoughts empty from my head, my pulse beats like a drumline solo and my focus zeros in on one thing, KILL THE FLY! It is as if nothing else in the world matters at that time but mass extermination. My mind will simply not shut down until my mission is completed.
I started to think about how distracted I get when I see a fly. What else in my life distracts me from living the life that God intended for me?
What makes me turn into DUG the dog from the Disney movie, UP? How easy it is to let spending time with God,… SQUIRREL!, fall to the bottom of the pile when you have other things to distract you.
Caring for children, work responsibility or running errands for an elderly parent are all good, positive things to do, but should not replace time spent with God.
Why? Because that is the time that you get the battery charge to do all of those other things.
What is the benefit of spending time with God? JOY!
Joy is the soul fulfilling feeling that comes from a relationship with our creator.
As Christa Smith, an international Christian speaker, said, “Joy isn’t about happiness, happiness is fleeting…pray for Joy, not the elimination of pain…Joy comes from adopting God’s perspective… We don’t have to be strong, His joy gives us strength”
In the Bible, Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.”
Distractions keep us from filling up on joy, if we have no joy we have no strength.
“…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” –Hebrews 12:2
Jesus used his JOY in the Father to get through his ministry and crucifixion.
Don’t believe me? Do this: spend 5 honest minutes a day for a week asking God to give you joy. See if it gives you strength. See if you can adopt God’s perspective.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
I suggest using an APP like YOUversion, or FIRST 5.
Or a devotional like: Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning
Oh, and then there is the great book called THE BIBLE. I highly recommend it.
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