...picture courtesy of JK from our adventures in India this summer. i must have been trying osmosis.. never works...
but nonetheless trying to rejoice... because He is good and He deserves to be praised... i've been reading some of Francis Chan's book and i love this blurb... quoting from Crazy Love...
He's talking about the verse in Phil 4:4 that says; "rejoice in the Lord always!" and he says:
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you'll notice that it doesn't end with "... unless you're doing something extremely important". no, it's a command for all of us, and it follows with the charge, "do not be anxious about anything".
when i am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family, and my job - i actually convey the belief that i think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. in other words, that i have a "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibiliies.
worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.
Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatiene, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control.
basically, these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. both worry and stress reek of arrogance. they declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, taht we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed.
Why are we so quick to forget God? Who do we thinkg we are?
I find myself relearning this lesson often. Even though I glimpse God's holiness, I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not about me at all."
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Wow... well said. amen to that. Glad I'm not the only one... so... on that note... I will rejoice!
..oh.. please forgive the typos...too lazy to edit... little finger boo-boo...
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