A Thousand - Million - Ways of Loud

Life is crazy. Life is so crazy that as humans, we are always going and going and going and going - there is no such thing as stopping. We are just naturally busy creatures. A normal week for my family consists of three people working, a cheerleader needing to go to her cheer practice, an aspiring guitarist with lessons, two youth groups, church, two bible studies, two different babysitting jobs and not to mention the slim amount of time for family time. From what the rest of my friends have said, they're just as busy! It always feels like there is no time to just sit down and relax - to give God a day of our lives because of our busy schedules. It feels like there is no time for peace.

Peace was the third Fruit of the Spirit I learned about as a child. As our Sunday School teacher began talking about peace, the rest of the students and I just looked at each other, silently asking: "What on earth is she talking about?!" After all, to a young child, peace is something parents ask for when they seem upset or stressed. Or perhaps peace was like...like Reeses Pieces! Yes, that seemed about right. Wrong - my silly little view of peace was rather warped. How on earth had I gotten Reeses Pieces out of peace? The words sound alike sure, but other than that, they have nothing in common. I was a rather imaginative - and candy crazy - little girl, and I had a wrong view of peace.

According to real, actual people, peace isn't just a couple moments of silence. Peace is stepping back from everything crazy and busy about life, and stealing away a few days in a secluded cabin. Peace is reading a nice book by the fire in a quiet house. Peace is looking across a gorgeous ocean, devouring the sandy beaches. Peace is watching the sunset after a nice, thoughtful walk. Peace is days without having to face reality. Peace from that point of view, is a little warped, unfortunately. Trust me, I am all for that kind of peace. There is nothing more that I like, then to sit down with a good book, in a quiet room and have a few hours to myself. But the kind of peace I rather love, may be rather silly - rather, unused properly. While most of us like to spend our peace time with ourselves and doing something we enjoy, maybe we're spending our "peace time" poorly.

We constantly complain about how we have no time for God, but maybe that's because we choose to make no time. We forget that our "peace time", is really God's time. We also forget to have God time in the smallest slivers of moments possible. Sometimes we think that God's time of peace is supposed to be spent in hour long periods, but we're wrong. God time, is any time. God time is the brief ten minutes spent in the shower; the fifteen minute drives to work; the smidgens of time between meetings - God time, is any time. The Bible says that, "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."(Romans 5:1) So since we have been "justified through faith", we have "peace with God". Some could look at this verse and think it was talking about us not having a war with God, but if you look at it in the context of us having busy lives, it comes across more like because we have been justified through faith, we have time for peace to have God Time.

Life is so busy, isn't it? Life is so busy, loud, crazy and absolute insanity. Sometimes peace, seems rather hopeless, and time set aside for God seems rather doubtful. But do not make an idol out of time, looking for peace and for God Time. Instead, delight in the small amounts of time God has given you. Pray for ten minutes in the shower; worship for fifteen minutes on the drive to work; steal away Scripture in the time between meetings. Stop waiting for time, make it. Because God Time is any time and all the time. And if you have to wake up an hour earlier, or stay up an hour later just to spend time with the one who created you, saved you and remade you, well... I'd say it's worth the extra sixty minutes, don't you?

Joy for the Sour Puss

I believe that God has given each of us a "thorn in our flesh" (see 2 Corinthians 12:7) so to speak. If you read more in 2 Corinthians 12, you see why having a thorn in your flesh can be a good thing. In my case, my "thorn" is negativity - despite my possibly encouraging blog posts - I feel rather morose and melancholy. It's easy for me to feel that way, and see the glass closer to half empty than half full. I can't really tell you exactly why God chose to give me the rather disastrous gift, but He must have a reason. Alright, so you're probably wondering where I'm going with all this and I will give you one word: joy.

As a small, naive little five year old, joy was the second Fruit of the Spirit that I learned about. To me (and the rest of my Sunday School class) joy was laughter and happiness; toys and ice cream - and dare I say it - Elmo. When I began getting older, joy was just joy - a simple word people talked of. And as the years went by, I found joy was just...a mystery. According to the dictionary, joy means: "the emotion of great happiness" - but I really think it's so much more. After all...anyone can be happy, but can anyone be joyful?

As I sit on a beach and write this, pondering what I could possibly say, I realize the bible is the right thing to point to. Here's what true joy is:

"Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. All sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness." Isaiah 35:10

I feel like as humans (very, very sinful humans) we are always searching for joy. I believe we spend so much time searching that we don't just sit still and find what's right in front of our faces. I say this only because I know from experience. I spent so much time searching, that I didn't realize joy was just a breath - a breath away. No, you can't find joy in anything of this earth - no sports, no person, no joy, nothing can give you beautiful joyfulness. Each time we do a petty search for joy, we end up with joylessness instead of joyfulness. But things that are not of this earth? Well, there's a lot more to it than you think. Only (and I mean only) can our Father give us pure, perfect joy. Nothing else can, but Him, and I know this for a fact. Krystal Meyers wrote this awesome song called "Only You Make Me Happy", and it's only a good song because only God can make us happy.

Feeling not joyful? I felt not joyful when I began writing this blog, and just talking about being joyful has made me, well, joyful. Yes, sometimes it is a little hard to be joyful, but there are easy solutions. If you're not feeling very joyful, my challenge to you is to look up the word "joy" in your bible and circle every verse that contains it - you'll find there are a lot more verses that mention joy than you thought. If you're not feeling joyful, go out and do something that would make someone else feel joyful. If you're not feeling joyful...go seek the Father, because He is the one that will show you true joy.