Joy

This morning as I was about to sit down for a coffee date with God, I was asking God to quiet my mind so I will be better able to feel His presence and this scripture came to mind. “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalm 51:12 This scripture reminds me that He’s always there and the His joy is always inside of me, ready to be tapped into. I have kept myself so busy striving tirelessly forgetting that it’s more important that I “Be still” and sit with God then it is to “hustle”. When my hustling leaves little room for God or caring for my family, then I’m just literally running circles. I’m forgetting that peace and joy come when I slow down, surrender all to God and be very mindful of what I am giving attention to. The other day, this was already beginning to weigh on my mind, so when I was watching an episode of my favorite show on PureFlix called “The Healing Tribe” it starting making things more clear. It was teaching on how the subconscious and conscious mind works. The part that stood out most was when they said our conscious mind can only handle several things at a time and if we try to mentally juggle more than that, that’s when you become stressed and anxious. It really hit me. It was then I realized the cause of all my stress and frustration came from my over-extending myself. I have a crazy over-active mind and a heart that wants to help the whole world!! However, oftentimes I have to remind myself I can’t do absolutely everything I am passionate about. Which always leads me back to making a list of my top priorities because somewhere along the way they always get flipped around, pushing God, my family and teaching Gods Word to the bottom. Yes, it’s great to be a hard working and be in pursuit of making a way for a better future. However, if that pursuit pushes your top priorities right out of the way, it’s time to return to the joy and peace of your salvation. It’s time to trust that God will honor your sacrifice to take care of the things He calls priorities. As Charles Stanley always says “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.” It’s funny how when I release all the worrying and tireless striving, my heart slows, my mind calms and the joy of The Lord begins to fill my heart again. “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”” Matthew 11:28-30 So I encourage you to sit down with God, grab a blanket and a cup of coffee and journal a bit. Make a list of what you know in your heart to be the top priorities for you and your family and begin to trust God enough to drop those things that are in the way. It could be as simple as cutting out some tv shows or social media scrolling or as difficult as cutting back on things that earn extra money or things your family loves to do. Because at the end of the day, nothing is more precious than a having quiet, slowed evening with your family without the input of the outside world permeating the walls of your home. So I encourage you (and myself) to pick a few evenings where instead of inviting Hollywood into our homes through the tv or inviting the entire world into our home through social media, let’s invite God, let’s sit at the dinner table and eat together, have some genuine conversations and play some games. I know this is easier said than done but it’s worth the fight and sacrifice to carve out this precious time for the sake of you and your families peace and joy.