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Okay, tell. me if I have this right.
My father lives in heaven, and He can decide what happens on earth and carry out His plan. His will is done on earth just as it is done in heaven because of His powerful hand? What!? This is so amazing. I think it just became heart knowledge. I knew that God lives in heaven, and He is in control, but it didn't really amaze me because I always knew it was that way. Now it amazes me. God is my Daddy. God has a Son whose name is Jesus (that makes Jesus my brother). Jesus is God. The Father and Son have a Helper who is God. That Helper, the Holy Spirit, is my Helper. God's personal Helper who is God is also my Helper!
Knowing this gives me so much JOY!
The same God who made the world and the universe, determines the future, loves everyone, gave me life, and has a heart to adopt all the children of the world (well, all people are His creation, we just need to accept Him as our Daddy), He has been with me through every step, every season, every year, every month, every day, hour, minute, and second of my short life. THAT God cares deeply for me, and cares deeply for you, and cares deeply for everyone. He did all that, and He wants to be the best friend you've ever had, and ever will have. The amazing thing about God is that He will always be here. He will always be your best friend. The ONLY thing you have to do is to let Him be your bestie.
Knowing that the God who made the world loves me, knows me, holds me, leads me, and holds my hand through every situation in life, just blows me away. But why is it that I don't find this JOY every day?
I believe that the everyday will not bring you JOY.
Just a regular school day doesn't necessarily bring you a bucketload of JOY. I believe that God is the only thing that will bring you real JOY. All of the things God has done in my life should bring me JOY. Thanking Jesus because He died for my sins should bring me JOY. Talking to God through the Holy Spirit should bring me JOY. When I'm talking to God, I'm talking to the God who made the world.
So then, why don't those things always bring you JOY? I'm pretty sure it has something to do with thankfulness.
For me, I definitely take God for granted. It sounds terrible, but I do sometimes. I get caught up in stressing about the here and now-my schedule for school, church, Cross Country, family plans, the list goes on. When I see my life and how much stuff I have to do, it's like I "grow up" in my head and I imagine myself become a super-busy adult with a full-time job, and I get grumpy and start hurrying around to get everything done, and I just keep going, and it's like I JUST CANNOT STOP!!!!!!!!!! But then as I'm hurrying around, I add Jesus to the list of things to do. Jesus isn't a thing to do. Remember, Jesus isn't a part of my life? Jesus is my LIFE. Jesus is where I get my strength from. Well, of course that's why I'm stressed. Of course that's why I'm so grumpy. Of course that's why . Of course I knew that!? Either I forget to put God first, or I do remember, and I just put Him to the side. I need to stop "growing up", and just be like Mary:
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”" -Luke 10:38-42 [italics added]
WAY too often, I find myself in Martha's shoes. I'm hurrying around and trying to get everything done, but Jesus just wants me to sit at His feet and listen to what He has to say. Reading this passage just relieves me and gives me peace because I keep telling myself that all these things need to be done. But Jesus says that they really don't matter! I can just see Him saying to me while shaking His head, "Kaela, Kaela, you are too worried with everything going on, but all that is needed is for you to sit at my feet and talk to me." It just feels so freeing. Jesus is telling me that I don't have to be so worried about things that are going on. That is where to find JOY in your everyday. Just simply sitting at the feet of our loving Brother, listening to what He has to say. Sitting at the feet of the God who made the world.