I can be so damn serious. Pardon the word choice, but it's true. Try as I may, I can't seem to find a more delicate way to put it. Maybe it's birth order. I am the oldest child, and spent a lot of time bossing my siblings around. Maybe it's just my personality. I actually like to read and study. Perhaps this is an aftershock of pain in my life. I wonder if I've always been this way. I can't put my finger on why, but lately I seem even more intense. I am challenged by this verse:
Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
I wonder, does my life look like that? Filled with joy? With eternal pleasures? Or is it more often categorized by stuffy, stoic tendencies?
Those two Hebrew words for joy & pleasures mean: gladness, mirth, gaiety, pleasant, delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable, beautiful, singing, sweet sounding, musical, joyful sounds. Doesn't that sound fun? Honestly, I feel that way when I am worshipping. I remember all that God has done for me and I want to jump for joy! And I do!
But....I leak.
I'm not sure how far I carry that joy with me when I leave those times with the Lord.
In his little 91 page book, The Dangerous Duty of Delight, John Piper is daring me to pursue joy. To begin by confessing the sin of joylessness. Whoa! Secondly, to pray that God would restore the joy of doing His will. Thirdly to go ahead and do the outward dimension of this duty, in hope that in the doing I will find delight. (p 31)
So, what would it look like to be filled with joy in the pick up line at school? Jesus help me! What would it feel like to find pleasure in helping kids with homework? I'm so low on patience these days. What can I do in my everyday life to stop being so serious and loosen up a bit? Maybe I'll try Zumba. Is it possible to stop the leak or just vital to keep filling up? What do you think?
5 comments:
Bah to the sin of joylessness. I hate the preacher who states Christians ought to be the most happy and joyous around letting us feel like we are missing the mark. You stated joy in worship, that is enough. Today I encourage you to thank God for who He made you to be. You are serious. This is personality and God-given. Our world needs both the flighty happy go lucky and the serious to keep the balance. I am serious and practical too so it takes one to know one.
If there are issues in your life that need some addressing, then maybe you should look at those. But it is not practical for me to be zippy happy all the time, in fact I look for balanced mood as a good thing, not too low and not too high. I am pretty close to a master's degree in counseling these days, knee deep in personality, moods, ect. so that is my angle on it. Blessings to who you are. Lisa from ORU.
Lisa, Congrats on your hard earned graduate degree! An great acheivement for anyone, but for a mom - incredible! Such good feedback, thank you for your insightful comment. I wonder if it is the beginning of a new school year that brings out my more serious side? Or maybe I compensate at home to balance out my silly boys :) Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
My Dear Friend! You are wonderful and I would never describe you as a joyless person!!!!!
And keep jumping for it not only does your soul good but mine too! And in my current state you can jump for me too!
Love you so much xoxoxo
I can so relate to the begining of a new school year. I for one was not ready for summer vacation to be over. I hate to think that you probably got your serious side from your parents.
While at the Women's Health Center I ran across and article about working out and how that helps you to live a fuller and more pleasureable life. She states that we need to have fun every day.
I realized I need to have a lighter side and laugh more then I do. So I decided to have jokes and riddles for the students as they come to library. As I was reading some and decided on which ones to pick I couldn't help but enjoy the funnier side of life.
God only knows I needed that!
Today while working at the media center they had a book on the shelf entitled "May You be Blessed"
by Kate Nowak. I brought the book home and dad & I read it tonight.
It has alot of food for thought.
She has a web sight www.bettertobless.com You may want to check it out. She talks alot about blessings. One statement she makes is "Through this simple act of blessing I've been able to transform myself from being a worrier to a warrior for good"
Don't be so hard on yourself! Remember you are loved and you are a blessing to many:)
Love, Mom
Thank you for inspiring me with your transparency. Sometimes just watching or listening to someone working through life, inspires me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
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