enjoyment.

So God has been working in my life and in my journey to really show, teach and remind me how important it is to ENJOY my life. I know.... it sounds a little childish and elementary but there are some amazing lessons to learn. Let me explain.....

Each person here has been given a responsibility and a life that is unique to them and their skills. God purposelly created us to be unique individuals with different passions and different dreams and special talents. So knowing that and keeping that in mind, enjoyment is not only OK with God it is what He had in mind!!

That doesn't mean that we will not suffer hard times or have periods of lonliness or grief or sadness. The Bible teaches us that we will indeed face suffering and trials. True, authentic joy can be found only in an intentional relationship with God. Then the joy is complete regardless of the circumstances. It is bigger then the problems and triumphs of this world.

So many perople wait for our dreams to bring joy but God is teaching me that joy is what brings me to my dreams. We keep waiting for something to happen and a reason to be happy. Joy is not a supplement to life; it is an essential. It is not something that you receive when the circumstances change but rather it is what changes the circumstances!

Think for a second about the glass half empty/half full debate. The idea goes something like this: if the glass is half full then you are an optimist and if the glass is half empty you are a pessimist. I would like to challenge you for a second to consider that you were not created to be a pessimist.... that is NOT what God had in mind. Instead, the events of your life and the dissapointments along your journey have led you to a point of pessimism.

What would happen if we all practiced being astonished by life? What would happen if we purposefully looked for the beauty that is around us everyday? The point is that we have to practice seeing the beauty in the everyday areas of life.... in the trials, in the triumphs, at every peak and in every valley. When we take a moment everyday to be breathless before God for the beauty that surrounds us we begin to form a habit of gratitude and enjoyment that is contagious and positive. Eventually, we will get to a point where we begin to wonder how we never saw the beauty to begin with.

Its here. Its all around us. If we are able to tap into the joy that rests in Christ then we can truly ENJOY the life that He has designed for us. Dare to be breathless!!