1 of 2
Letting Joy Grow
What happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.
1 of 2
"What happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direction energies wisely." (Galatians 5:23, from The Message) I love this time of year—my backyard garden comes alive. Right now, I have asparagus growing, the herb garden is flourishing, forget-me-nots are shyly invading. But most spectacular are the irises, their blooms a pale but royal purple. Those irises come back year after year, spreading further unless I divide them. Their spiky leaves are dramatic; the stalks that hold the blossoms are easily four feet tall. They just appear—a gift. They are exuberant. The verse above, a translation of the well-known "fruit of the spirit" verse in Galatians, highlights the fact that when we live God's way, he shifts things in our soul. He gives us gifts that will change our attitudes and, as a result, our actions. We can't force things to grow, either in gardens or souls. But this time of year, when you see growth around you, doesn't it stir up in you a desire to grow? If we spend time with God, he'll begin to change us. We'll want to live his way, not out of legalism but out of love. I want to live with an exuberance about life, balanced with serenity. How do we get there? I think a good place to start is simply to think about your life story. When did you experience joy in the past? What brings you joy now? Perhaps a great spiritual practice would be to allow yourself to do things that bring you pure joy—even if they don't seem very "spiritual." Here's what I wrote about this in my book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life: My son recently made a birthday card for a friend. "In joy your birthday," he wrote at the top, and drew a picture of a cake with candles, guarded by a Lego Bionicle warrior. He, of course, meant "enjoy" but really, he may have been on to something. If you enjoy something, you're "in joy." Right? What puts you "in joy"? Do you ever experience joy? Did you experience it as a kid or a young person? How about lately? The things that bring you joy, that you love, will tell you about yourself, about your story. Looking at what brings you joy is a good first step toward listening to your life. By noticing what brings you joy, you get a picture of the unique way that God created you. A lot of people I talk to seem to think that the fun stuff of life and the God stuff are in two different little compartments. This is dangerous thinking, because if that's true, why would anyone want to live a life of faith for very long? The things that bring you joy—real joy—are gifts from God. God has been involved in the story of your life since the beginning, whether you noticed or acknowledged that or not. So if you notice—Where have I felt joy? What things do I love?—you can notice God. Because those things are gifts from God; they are things to pay attention to because God speaks through them. (from Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life. Jossey-Bass, 2006. Reprinted with permission.) |        
       |
share this page
Average User Rating: Not rated
Submit Your Rating and Review *