Joy is Essential

Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.

Mary Manin Morrissey

Lately, I've spent so much time worrying & struggling to figure out the direction my life should go in. It's left me tired, drained & at points, apathetic. These were never emotions I strived to feel, yet they were ever present in my daily life. Yes, I started a new job, on top of making several life transitions. However, I never want those to be reasons why I get this way. I feel like I once had a solid grasp on my life, but I came to the point where that tight grasp began to loosen its grip.

Life is one long lesson, & sometimes we miss parts of it, but I am confident that in time we will eventually hear what we need hear. As I reflect on this last year, & realize that there were lessons I probably should have learned months ago, but I am learning them now. God's grace is unbelievable. His patient Spirit inspires me to live righteously & joyfully.

This past Sunday at Rock Harbor, Steve said something that really struck a chord within me. He said, "I feel some of you may be lacking joy in your life.". I could not deny the overwhelming emotion that hit me in that very moment. So much so, that it brought me to tears. With the Lord in my heart, I am always joy-filled, yet recently I've neglected to embrace that joy, not to mention even express it. It's a key fruit that is necessary to live this life by, yet I completely disregarded it for quite some time.

The challenging thing about being a Christian, is once the Spirit brings something to our attention, & we recognize we need to change, it's so hard to turn away from that. I say challenging, because with change, comes work. The lack of joy I was feeling was no one's fault but my own. Unfortunately, many people who have been close to me recently had to feel the effects of that. For that, I am deeply sorry. You know who you are.

I find so much hope in this quote. It puts life in such a unique perspective. We can no longer say we will live later. The time is now. You are not promised "later", so live your life in every moment.

What goals do you have that you wish you could reach? What dreams do you have pondering in the back of your heart? What is stopping you from making those dreams & goals come true?

Friends, the time is now.
Keep fighting the Good Fight.