Joy

As I was doing my devotional this morning, something occured to me. I was reading about the Last Supper and how Jesus wanted to enjoy His fellowship with the Disciples before He was gave His life for us. What occured to me had nothing at all to do with my devotional so I guess the Lord was really working on me!

I remember the complete joy I felt when I became a Christian. You cannot wait to tell everyone, nothing brings you down, and you are on FIRE for the Lord. Now we all know that we are supposed to feel that same joy every day. This is not news to us. I am guilty of not feeling this way A LOT. What occured to me is that we should feel that same joy when we are with our husband and children. Remember that feeling of realizing you were in love? When he proposed? Your wedding day? How about when you found out you were pregnant? When you heard the heartbeat for the first time? And when you finally held that precious miracle in your arms? But over time, that joy subsides. Yes, we still love them and are happy but that giddyness is gone. You get used to living together, you wonder why he doesn't think like you anymore, learn their quirks, get annoyed by those quirks. You wonder why your children cannot obey you. You give up so much for them; how come they cannot do what you ask? And if they do it, why can't they have a happy heart? You stop spending time together because you are just living.

I ask myself those questions every day. Then my A-HA! moment came! I do that to God. I got "used" to Him. I don't feel the need to spend as much quality time with Him. I get annoyed by His "quirks." When you first become a Christian, the world is rosy. After walking the Christian walk for a while, you realize that God is not always on the same page as you. So we get annoyed by Him. We wonder why He choses the things that He does for our lives. But I bet God wonders why we just can't do what He says!

It all boils down to trust and our attitudes. Do I trust God enough to give up control? Do I have the attitude of wanting to spend time with My Lord? Is my heart happy when I do obey? Do I obey just because I fear the consequences? Or do I obey because I fully trust Him?

I need this in my marriage and parenting also. I need to remember those feelings and that God gave the precious gift of my family to me. Things are not always going to go the way I want. But if I have the right attitude, things will be just a bit smoother.

Those are my ramblings for the day! They make a lot of sense in my head; not so much in writing. I am off to enjoy my children brushing my hair and discussing if I need "fangs" or not. G'night~