Keep the Joy

Everyone told me that my wedding would go by very quickly. But I did not realize how fast it would go by until it was a thing of the past. Anticipation is an amazing motivator and emotion. There are many things we look forward to like Christmas, Weddings or Summer Vacation. But the one thing we should be looking forward to the most, I feel like a lot of us are missing.  As my family and I were getting everything ready for my wedding there was so much preparation, joy, excitement and LOTS of hard work to do leading up until that beautiful day. In the same way we should be looking for the coming of our Lord. As we are still here on earth we are to be working hard in the kingdom of heaven but still full of that amazing excitement and anticipation that a bride has on her wedding day.  As a bride waits for her bridegroom so we are to wait for our King to come and bring us home. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” Rev 19:7-8

Anyone who has planned a wedding knows that it is far from an easy task. It takes weeks of planning, organization, multitasking skills, decorating, coordinating and lots and lots of help. Because a bride has so much work and craziness ahead of her it is very easy to lose your joy and the focus of what is to come. In our modern society this is called a Bridezilla. The Christian walk is just the same. Leading up to that glorious moment of Christ coming back, takes a lot of work. In our Christian walk I think we can have Bridezilla moments. The goal is not to lose your joy and the focus of what is to come. Christ did not tell us it would be easy and sometimes I think we forget that it is supposed to be difficult and we need lots and lots of help! “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.” 1 Cor 4:17 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” Matt 7:13-14

If following Christ were easy everyone would do it. If marriage was easy everyone would be married and would stay married, but it’s not. The US divorce rates for 2013 are above 50%. I wonder in America how many people divorce God? I believe the very simple solution is to Trust in the Lord with all your heart and not to lean on your own understanding. To seek him in all your decisions and he will make your way straight and guide you through whatever we go through. We have to keep up our joy and our passion in both relationships and in our walk with God. Just as it is important to work at our marriages we have to work in our Christian walk. I did not get married to gain my husband’s love; I married him because he first loved me.  In the same way our actions don’t gain us a piece of heaven or a slice of God’s heart. We work, serve and love because Christ first loved us and gave himself up for us to save us. Joy takes work but it sure is worth it. It’s contagious and spreads like the first rays of light in the morning sky. “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” Prov 4:18  Keep the anticipation, keep the JOY =)
PMI