"When I think of all
this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of
everything in heaven and on earth." (3:14-15)
A couple of months ago I
read a book by Ann Voskamp called One Thousand Gifts. And
while there were definitely some odd things about it, I actually got
a great message from that book. You see, I have been on the hunt for
the ever elusive Joy-despite-your-circumstances and I found it hiding
in those pages. At least, I found the idea that led me to it. Joy
begins with thankfulness. If we want our joy from Jesus, we need to
start by appreciating, fully and completely appreciating, every
single thing we are given in our lives.
Last
night, for example, my husband had a pretty serious allergic reaction
to something and ended up being rushed (by me) to the ER where he was
treated and is fine today. We sat in the room with too much noise
outside, not enough cell signal or battery life in our phones, and no
TV to watch. Normally, I would complain about all of that. We were in
the room as he was under observation for over 4 hours. We didn't get
discharged until after 1am. I wasn't in bed until 2am. I was up again
by 6am. Looking at all of that, I know there is a lot there to
grumble about but I don't feel any of those bad feelings about it.
All that I feel right now is gratitude.
Jesus
gave me a parking spot when we got to the ER so that I could get
inside quickly to be with my very red husband- yep, I'm one of those.
I believe Jesus gave me that spot and no one can make me think
otherwise. ;) Shaun and I got four mostly uninterrupted hours alone
together. We got to talk a lot once he was feeling better. More
importantly, he felt better so quickly after they started treatment.
We got a room pretty fast. The staff was nothing but kind and
supportive. There were amusing patients for us to listen to in the
hallway (is it wrong that I just wrote that there?). I had several
friends and family members willing to come help us out with the kids
since it was going to be a late night. My awesome brother willingly
stepped in, took care of my kids, and didn't complain or pressure me
once.
Despite
all of it, I know that we are blessed and so, I am thankful to Jesus
for all of last night- the good and the bad.
"I
pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you
with inner strength through his Spirit."
(3:16)
And
he did that last night. It's funny how relevant the Bible still is
when I read it. I have been reading my Bible for as long as I can
remember starting with the Precious Moments Bible (pink of course)
that I won for saying enough memory verses at church. And each time I
find something that totally applies to my life, I am weirdly
surprised by it. How can it be so very timeless? And yet, it is. Last
night, I prayed for protection for Shaun and strength, wisdom, and
help for us both. God delivered all of that through every little
thing that happened. And I am grateful.
"Then
Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your
roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may
you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how
wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you
experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand
fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life
and power that comes from God." (3:17-19)
It's
a funny thing, trust. It goes hand in hand with love. The more I
trust God, the more I experience his love. And the more I experience
his love, the more I want to trust him. It's like this amazing cycle.
I know I haven't come anywhere close to experiencing -or
understanding maybe- the complete depth of his love in my life. I
probably never will this side of heaven. But the thing that I
appreciate the most about God's love? It's without conditions. He
offers it to me freely and undeservedly. He gives me heaping piles of
grace when I shouldn't get anymore. He just loves me. Period. And
that's a wonderfully reassuring thought.
"Now
all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work
within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
(3:20)
Here's
the thing about this verse. It points right back to yesterday for me.
It's this great reminder that not only does God adore me and give me
heaping amounts of grace just for being me, but he also wants to
accomplish big things through me. He has a purpose and a plan for my
life! And he has one for you too. Whether we see ourselves as
qualified or not, deserving or not, amazing or not, God has a great
plan for each of our lives.
Someone
at church once said to me that we are God's plan A. There is no plan
B. We are never God's second choice. We are always picked first,
always loved with all he has in him, and always desired for who we
are. If that doesn't give you feelings of Jesus Joy, I don't know
what will. ;)
Let's
end today with Paul's closing statement in chapter 3:
"Glory
to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations
forever and ever! Amen." (3:21)
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