Do you want to have a good life? What is there that you believe you need to experience or accomplish so you can truly enjoy life? Many people’s main goal in life is to seek pleasure and to have fun. Much time and money are spent to achieve this. But do we accomplish it? In our natural mind we think that the circumstances need to be just right to please us. But we all know that circumstances are never ideal all the time. So, we can’t depend on those for our happiness. We need something bigger than that. Or Someone.
Obviously, we know that God alone is never changing and always faithful. Another thing about God is that He is sovereign. In other words, He’s in charge. But we like our independence; we like things to happen in a way that feels good to us. When life doesn’t happen that way, we are brought to a decision. Will we accept all of God—both His unchangeableness and His sovereignty—or will we fight to have our own way in our pursuit of a good life?
The root of joy is with God Himself. This is because He created us for Himself. He created us to bring pleasure to Himself, but we think we need to bring pleasure to ourselves. It started in the garden of Eden when the serpent convinced Eve that pleasing herself was more important than pleasing God. Since then, humans have been at war, both within their own hearts and without, with other folks. All in the effort of trying to find pleasure for themselves, yet not finding it because they were created to please God.
The solution for this war is found in James 4. It’s simple: submit to God. Humble yourselves before Him. This is not too much for Him to ask of us, because He is sovereign. He created us, so He has the say in how we live. If we will truly find enjoyment in life, it will be by putting our own life and desires on the cross and becoming one with God and His original purpose for us. Rather than it being restrictive, this opens up a world of opportunities and possibilities. It doesn’t mean we have to do things because God wants us to. Becoming one with God means that what He wants us to do is also what we want to do.
Worship and Gratitude
When we are one with God, our whole perspective changes. Instead of pining over all the things that aren’t ideal, we begin to see the many things that are true blessings. We can have a heart of worship and gratitude for all the good things that we do experience. We are able to see how unworthy we really are. We didn’t deserve anything good, but God has still given us so many things to enjoy!
Living in the Present
As young ladies, we have a tendency to dream, to live in a future that is idealistic and pleasant. We sometimes struggle to live in the present imperfect reality and find joy in it. But when God’s will becomes our will then true joy happens, because we are fulfilling His purpose for us.
We can learn to experience joy in any circumstance, even in mundane life. We’re afraid of living a boring life. We want it to be exciting. But He wants us to please Him, and when we do, we experience joy no matter the circumstances. However, we are also then available for Him to use in service to His Kingdom, and He may call us to opportunities that are exciting. But we won’t be effective in the exciting missions unless we have learned to be submitted to His will in everyday life.
Relationships
When we are finding joy and contentment in where God has us in the present, we are able to focus on developing solid, upbuilding relationships with those who are in our lives right now. God has created us as social people, and good relationships will bring true enjoyment to us. God is also able to use us in reaching out to other people. When we are one with Him, our focus is no longer on ourselves but on others. The life of God can flow through us and both show others the way to Him and give us joy and fulfillment in doing it.
Emotions
Another tendency we have is to let our emotions control us. And they will run wild if we are looking to our circumstances to give us pleasure. We will end up on a roller coaster of feelings dictated by whatever is happening at the moment. And then we escape to the dream world, which only distorts our view of reality even more. But God is steadfast, and when we are one with Him, He imparts to us stability and rest. And we are able to experience ever present joy—even in ever changing circumstances.
Let us continue to become ever more one with Him. And He will give us heavenly sunlight all of our journey, unchanged by circumstances on earth and realized in full when we see Him face to face. …in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore –Psalm 16:11.
