“Never clutch the past so tightly that it leaves your arms unable to embrace the present.”
On New Year’s Day we went out to dinner and as we sat waiting for our food David asked Julia and I what our goals for the New Year were. I hadn’t really thought about it. David talked about possible physical goals for the year (run another marathon, a triathlon), goals of spending more time with Julia (a regular father-daughter “date night”). Julia talked about just wanting to make it through the FCAT and finishing her fourth grade year. I thought about what my goals were…lose weight? Sure. Exercise more? Sure. But what I really want to do is to be more joyful.
So much of our lives are filled with anxiety. It is easy for me to think of things I am anxious about: taking care of my mother as she gets older, Julia growing up too fast, church finances (just to name a few!). And the world seems to run on anxiety. The busier we are the better. Where can we find joy in the midst of the chaos?
I have always relied on the idea that happiness comes and goes with changing circumstances. We can be “happy” one day because something good happened at work. The next day we can be “unhappy” because we had a bad day at work. Happiness comes and goes with circumstances. But real joy is found deep inside of us where the Holy Spirit resides. Fear and anxiety motivate us to put our faith and hope in resources other than the Holy Spirit. We have lost sight of our Lord in our anxious attempts to fix problems by our own efforts. Yes, we need hard work and creativity and conversation with one another in order to respond to the Spirit’s guidance, but we also need to always be praying, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”
So how do I temper my sense of anxiety with true joy? I am resolving to begin each new day by praying for the Holy Spirit to remind me of God’s grace in my life. When we worship together this is a reminder to us that we are not alone. When we pray in our own quiet time it is a reminder that we are not alone, that the Holy Spirit is with us. As I enter 2012 I invite you to join me in letting go of the anxieties that we hold so tight and open our arms to the movement of God in our lives and the joy that is found in resting in the promises of God.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” The Apostle Paul, Philippians 3: 13-14
On New Year’s Day we went out to dinner and as we sat waiting for our food David asked Julia and I what our goals for the New Year were. I hadn’t really thought about it. David talked about possible physical goals for the year (run another marathon, a triathlon), goals of spending more time with Julia (a regular father-daughter “date night”). Julia talked about just wanting to make it through the FCAT and finishing her fourth grade year. I thought about what my goals were…lose weight? Sure. Exercise more? Sure. But what I really want to do is to be more joyful.
So much of our lives are filled with anxiety. It is easy for me to think of things I am anxious about: taking care of my mother as she gets older, Julia growing up too fast, church finances (just to name a few!). And the world seems to run on anxiety. The busier we are the better. Where can we find joy in the midst of the chaos?
I have always relied on the idea that happiness comes and goes with changing circumstances. We can be “happy” one day because something good happened at work. The next day we can be “unhappy” because we had a bad day at work. Happiness comes and goes with circumstances. But real joy is found deep inside of us where the Holy Spirit resides. Fear and anxiety motivate us to put our faith and hope in resources other than the Holy Spirit. We have lost sight of our Lord in our anxious attempts to fix problems by our own efforts. Yes, we need hard work and creativity and conversation with one another in order to respond to the Spirit’s guidance, but we also need to always be praying, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”
So how do I temper my sense of anxiety with true joy? I am resolving to begin each new day by praying for the Holy Spirit to remind me of God’s grace in my life. When we worship together this is a reminder to us that we are not alone. When we pray in our own quiet time it is a reminder that we are not alone, that the Holy Spirit is with us. As I enter 2012 I invite you to join me in letting go of the anxieties that we hold so tight and open our arms to the movement of God in our lives and the joy that is found in resting in the promises of God.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” The Apostle Paul, Philippians 3: 13-14
3 comments:
Thank you Carolyn your message spoke to my heart.
Thank you Carolyn, I copied your short prayer into my daily journal. It will serve as inspiration for each new day.
Thank you Carolyn! What a beautiful message. I too seek JOY this year!
My mantra for 2012 is I BELIEVE!
I believe in JOY...
I believe in hope...
I believe in peace...
I believe in love...
I BELIEVE....
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