My heart is creative and free; My heart also craves direction snd strong leadership. I hate being told what to do; I need rules and standards to feel grounded. I hate that my thoughts are so insanely opposed to each other! I am thankful for a God who foresaw these exact problems. My flesh is constantly battling the Spirit. It is just a fact of the Christian life.
People are constantly trying to figure out what exact the lines are. Occassionally I wish it was as easy as a simple do/don’t list, but life can’t be summed up in lists. As a human, I think, feel, have emotions… everything gets more complicated when you start to factor that in! Don’t get me wrong. I love being human. I enjoy being able to love and connect with friends and family. I enjoy shopping with friends. I enjoy a good meal with good company. I enjoy being exhausted after a hard day’s work. We are created to live our lives to the fullest! Ecclesiastes has several passages that commend the persute of joy. We should eat, drink, and be merry! We are all free to and encouraged to seek happiness.
There is another side of that thought that must also be balanced in. My favorite way of putting it is found in Colossians. It says, since you have been risen with Christ, seek those things which are above… set your affections on things above, not on things on earth. As a Christian, my joy is found in the glorifying the Lord. I love Him because He loved me enough to redeem me from hell. His love goes beyond my understsnding and prompts me to a love that makes me want to follow Him in all I do. Psalms says, delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. It is hard to quote that when it seems like I am leagues away from a happy ending, but I am choosing to trust that the Lord is faithful. My desire is to please the Lord in what I do and living a life that is blameless is fulfilling because I know it brings honor to the Lord’s name.
Being blameless and seeking heavenly things occasionally gets in the way of my perceived happiness. That’s hard! It really does stink when I have to choose not to go places or see people that I really like. I believe that I have liberty and can choose my own standards that are right between me and God. There are times when pleasing God means denying what feels good. That is a point where every Christian has to decide for themselves what their next move is. Please God or please my current desires?? It is easy to get swept into following your heart and doing what feels good, but in the long run only the grace of God makes each day worth living. My love for Christ should far outweigh my love for myself.
My walk from day to day should be seeking to do His will. That is the only way I can feel satisfied at the end of my day. A day of shopping rocks, but it doesn’t fulfill. It is only one component to living a Christian life. Likewise, I would say that living by a rigid rule book and neglecting to do things that bring you enjoyment will also leave you feeling unfulfilled. We all need both parts. It can be a struggle to figure out what it looks like to you, but it is worth it. The only way you will love your life is by loving the Lord with the way you live.
Love your life, love your God.
Jersey Journey 