Joyful Delight

It's amazing how something so simple can turn a day around completely. I was out one day last week and went to a drive thru to get something to drink. I was waiting to place my order when I noticed a butterfly flitting about in front of my car. I watched as it flew around and went over by the other drive thru lane.

As it was dancing around, I noticed this woman in the other lane. She was looking like I felt - kind of blah and not really feeling much of anything - just kind of existing in the moment. Then, she noticed the butterfly. It's hard to describe the expression on her face with any other word than delight.

It was like watching a child experience something wonderful for the first time - like a butterfly. Her eyes lit up. Her entire face changed. And she was grinning from ear to ear (though it's hard to see in this picture).

In that moment, I could sense God's delight for her. I don't know what her day was like. Maybe she was having a great day, maybe she just lost a friend. Who knows? But I do know this - despite her circumstances, God delighted in her as she delighted in His creation.

Can you image God's delight if she had jumped out of her car and started dancing with that butterfly (which you can't see in this picture - in case you've been searching for it)? Imagine His delight when we worship Him fully, with everything, like that butterfly. To dance around, delighted to be who we were created to be, without hesitation or fear.

God delights in us as we delight in Him. I'm not sure I understood what that meant until I saw a woman notice a butterfly.

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp.
For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
Psalm 149:1-4 NLT

Never Again...

Every once in a while, these negative thoughts creep in, so I've started keeping track of those thoughts, and taking them captive with the Truth. Kinda like this:

Never again will I call myself a failure because...

• God has started something in me, a good work, and promises to complete it. (Philippians 1:6)
• I can do all things through Christ's strength and power. (Philippians 4:13)
• I can do even greater things than He. (John 14:12)
• I am the head, not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13)

Never again will I be lonely because...

• God is with me (Isaiah 43:2)
• God is with me (Joshua 1:9)
• God is with me (Matthew 28:20)

Never again will I be defeated because...

• I have the Greater One living in me (1 John 4:4)
• I was created to do His work (Ephesians 2:10)
• I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37-39)

Never again will I feel unloved because...

• His love is everlasting (Psalm 103:7, Jeremiah 31:3)
• His love endures forever (Psalm 136)
• He loves me (John 15:13, 1 John 3:16, John 3:16)

Never again will I be in need because...

• I am complete in Him (Colossians 2:10)
• He will provide for my needs (2 Corinthians 9:10)

Never again will my past control me because...

• He has taken away the past and replaced it with something new, something better (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• Every day is a new beginning (Lamentations 3:22-23)

What about you - what thoughts do you need to say never again to?

Was It Enough?

It's a question I keep coming back to, especially when I think I'm having the worst day.

Were the nails and the spear in My side

Not quite enough to provide

The victory you need in your life? -Jill Pacquette, Come to Me

No matter what you are going through, whatever pain you are feeling, what mountain is in your way or who your adversaries are, you have victory if you have a life surrendered to Jesus. The victory may not look like you expect, it's really better than you can imagine.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. Psalm 60:12

What more could He have done? His sacrifice - I'd say it's more than enough.

Leftovers... Yuck!

I don't like leftovers. I don't know whether it's that I don't like to eat the same thing over and over, or that reheated food just doesn't taste like the fresh (there are a few exceptions to this rule and the leftovers are actually better - like chili), or that we used to have leftover meals where all the different types of leftovers came out of the fridge. Maybe it's all of those reasons.

I also don't like people leftovers. You know... the people who only call when there is absolutely nothing better to do and no one else to talk to. That may be an exaggeration, but sometimes it can feel that way. I think there is a balance. I don't expect to be put in first place in anyone's life. And I don't think it's wrong to give left overs from last night, if that's all there is. But sometimes, it would be nice to be invited to the party.

This happened to me recently, and it really made me take a look at the way I interact with the people I care about. Do I save the best parts of me for me and give others what's left over? Or do I spend the best of my time and energy on loving others?

Of course, we should be giving our best to God first, expecting nothing in return. Then, He replenishes our supply so we can give to others. I wish I could say I have this part down, but I don't...

I wonder how God feels about the leftovers I serve Him?

That's a Four-Letter Word!

I want to talk about a word that keeps creeping into my conversations way too often. I use it myself, so I'm not judging anyone. This word, though it may seem harmless - may even seem life giving, life affirming or just make you feel good. But it's not always taken that way.

That word is love. We love our cars, we love our clothes, we love certain foods, we love our favorite sports teams, we love our families, we love celebrities, we love our homes, our pets, our phones. The problem is, when we try to tell someone that God loves them, they have no idea what that means.

For some, the only person who ever loved them was their dad, and he left, so they believe Love abandons.

For others, their mom tells them she loves them but doesn't make it to any of their ball games even though she promises every time. To them, Love disappoints.

For some, their friends say they love them, but then gossip about them, so Love betrays.

Some know love to be the one who comes to them in the middle of the night, leaving them feeling hurt, alone, dirty and scared. They don't understand why love harms.

Others have heard they are loved only when they get good grades or do their chores. They believe love is conditional.

Some people have only known others to love them when they need a favor. Love uses them.

The list of distortion of the word goes on and on. But love is so much different than that. The Bible teaches us God loves us, but until we actually experience that love, they are just words on a page. Telling someone who has a distorted view of love that God loves them, is like telling them who won the ball game last night. It may sound interesting, but it doesn't really change them.

God is pretty clear that we are to love him with all of our being. He's also pretty clear we are to love people. And he didn't tell us to just say the words "I love you", but he gives us examples of how we can love each other. We need to be patient and kind, forgiving and humble, willing to put others first and forget about our own desires. Love is not simply an emotion, but is a motion.

And there are people around us that need to know what love really is. It's not about stuff, or the current trend, or the latest boy or girl friend. It's about God, our Creator, who made us for himself, loving us so much that he sent his Son to live in this broken world, to be broken for us so that we can be restored to the relationship God intended for us to have with him. Love means nothing without knowing what Jesus did for us. Without that, it's just an empty word that gets thrown around way too much. God sent... Jesus died... those are action words, not emotions.

So today, be the example of love that someone else needs... they won't know what hit them.