Come Down

V:
Falling on my knees
In worship to a holy King
I will fall on my knees

C:
For you are
Glorious, Beautiful
All consuming fire
You're glorious, Wonderful
Our Heavenly Father

B:
Come down, come down
Come down & dwell with us we pray
Come down, come down
And be with us
Dwell with us
Be our Guider, Protector, Provider
Come down, come down & walk beside us

One Thousand Gifts: Chapter 7

Recently, I have been reading the book “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp.  While reading one of the chapters, the Lord nudged me to begin writing again as a way to work out my thoughts, and as a way to remember better what I am learning.  So here goes: my dialogue with myself about chapter 7, Seeing Through The Glass.

The basic premise of this chapter is that there is joy to be found in every thing we do and see though out any given day, it just depends on your perspective and attitude going into the situation.  Each chapter in this book is brought together by a story from the author’s life that pertains to the topic being covered.  In this one, it is a story about an encounter she had with one of her children: a teaching moment at its finest.  One quote says “The parent must always self-parent first, self-preach before child-teach, because who can bring peace unless they’ve held their own peace?”  This illustrates this amazing concept that we as children of God cannot give something unless we have received it from the Father.  Whether that be peace, wisdom, discernment, a word, or even knowledge, all of it comes from Him and Him alone.  If we are not actively seeking to be filled by the Lord than we will have absolutely nothing to give to others.  In that case, anything we give will be directly draining our own supply of sustenance, leaving us to starvation and exhaustion rather quickly.  It is essential that we are ever seeking the Lord’s face, seeking new revelations of his love and affection for us, and seeking his heart for the world and us as individuals.  Without this, joyful, fulfilling life is not possible. 

“Nothing happens to you except by the will of God, and yet [God’s] beloved children curse it because they do not know it for what it is.”  -- Jean-Pierre de Caussade

            Voskamp quotes this in her book and it was just a stinging reminder that everything indeed happens for a reason, and that reason is it is God’s will.  It is so hard for me to remember most days that the humdrum of every day life is happening for a reason, that I am indeed learning something and developing some part of my character every day.  The Lord has something for me to see, learn, feel, experience, give every day I am on this earth, and I must be atune to his spirit in order to catch those things.  Without noticing these hints throughout the day, each day can become very boring and monotonous, because we begin to see no purpose in that day but to get through till bedtime.  This is not how we were meant to live.  We were meant to live full, and full means trying to learn and find everything our good Papa has left for us to discover in this day.  That requires living with eyes wide open, ears strained for the whisper, hands ready to embrace, and hearts ready to receive.  This is no easy task, but one that must be attempted.  This quote is a challenge to remember that anything we curse, complain about, and bemoan is actually from the Lord, because everything happens on his watch.  We may not like some things, and legitimately hate others, but they are there for a reason, and its our joy as children of God to search for the truth and joy behind each one. 

“Do I really smother my own joy because I believe that anger achieves more than love?”

            How many times does this statement ring true in my life, especially in my work place.  It is a hard thing to admit but it is true.  In resorting to anger and frustration, we are giving Satan a victory, however minute it is, and I’d venture to say that none of us really want to do that.  Love is patient.  Anger is hasty.  Love is kind.  Anger is vengeful.  Love does not envy.  Anger wants what it doesn’t have.  Love does not boast.  Anger always thinks I should get more recognition.  Love is slow to anger.  Anger is often our first reaction.  How do we change that?  How to we modify our behavior and habit of turning to anger first when things don’t go our way?  How to we not curse each bad situation and instead, look for that joy and truth as a first instinct?  Voskamp suggests that the only way is through developing an attitude of thanks at all times.  If you are thanking the Lord for everything, you certainly can’t be angry about it.  You can still be upset and confused, but anger will no longer be your first instinct.  This takes training and patience, but doesn’t everything that worth anything.  I want so badly to stop smothering my joy simply because of circumstances or people that I am around.  The Lord is ever with me, is that not enough to be joyful always about?!

This all takes practice.  It all takes deliberate time in the word, in prayer, spending time getting to know the person you are thanking, learning how he likes to give gifts, learning how he loves to bless and surprise.  I can’t expect this to happen overnight, nor can I expect it to happen in a month.  This process takes time, energy, and patience with myself especially, but also with others who might not be at the same point in the journey that we are.  For me the hardest part of this lesson is making the rubber meet the road; actually setting aside this time to invest in my true joy, and not artificial, world-made joy is hard.  I often don’t feel like I have the energy to do anything after a long days work, which may be true, but I can give anything to the Lord and he will take it and multiply it.  He honored the woman who gave the two pence, everything she had.  Give the Lord everything. Anything and everything you have to give, he will take: every five minutes and every two hours.  He wants it all.  He wants you to try.  He wants us all to stop complaining and giving the devil a foothold and start doing, start putting one foot in front of the other.  We will be surprised at where he meets us on this journey, but if we never start walking, and keep walking, then we will never get any closer to where he is waiting for us with arms wide open.