Natural Joy
I cannot believe that it has already been a week since my plane touched down in Little Rock. This past week has flown by, and my emotions have flown with it. I will confess that I have danced with delight at God's works, but I have also cried with longing to be back in Jinotega. Sometimes I am so thankful for the memories, but other times I really miss being there.
I realize that of all the emotions I have felt - gratitude, happiness, homesickness, sadness, longing, delight, joy, amazement, awe - only one really makes sense. Joy! Yes, I miss Nicaragua, but it just doesn't make sense to spend the best month of your life there and then spend the rest of your life being sad about not being there. It doesn't make sense to see God's amazing works of love and grace and then respond to it with sadness. It just doesn't make sense to be a part of God's global mission and then go home and mope about it. What does make sense is this: the explosion of joy that radiates and shines to the world around you as a result of seeing, experiencing, and being a part of God's kingdom work. I know God better and saw Him clearer, so the only response that makes sense is a bubbling-over joy.
Today I am making a proclamation: the season of sadness has passed and the joy is shining through!
One of my favorite things about living in Jinotega for a month this summer was being surrounded by joyful people. I was so blessed to spend the month with three other great interns and a group of students from Harding University. Bonding happens quickly when you are serving God together, and we became a family-like community pretty quickly. When I think back on the whole month, I honestly cannot remember one time when we were ever short, cranky, or irritated with one another. All I remember is laughter, constant encouragement, spiritual bonding, and joy! When you wake up every day knowing that you are going to serve the Lord, see Him at work, and glorify Him, you can't help but feel God's joy. That joy is a fruit of His Spirit's presence. When the people you are surrounded by also live in that joy, it is like an endless cycle of positive encouragement.
There were even times when you wouldn't expect to find joy - like when we were on a five-hour bus ride at 12:45 at night. We had been awake since 4:00 that morning, spent all day on a wooden boat, been through the scorching heat and pouring rain, eaten nothing but trisket crackers, and were now sitting on a stuffy bus in wet clothes with bodies that hadn't showered in five days. This would be the perfect situation for crankiness and complaining, but what did I hear? Instead of griping, we were laughing and making jokes about our "soggy bottoms".
As a result of my time in Nicaragua, I can testify that it is possible to live in constant joy. Some might call it an unnatural joy, but I think it is the most natural response in the world. When you really know who God is, unstoppable joy is the only thing that makes sense.
I often couldn't fall asleep at night in Nicaragua because I would just stare at the ceiling and smile as I thought about how awesome God is. In the morning, I would jump out of bed at 5:30 with unexplainable energy because I knew that God had miracles in mind for the day.
That kind of joy makes sense when you think about who God really is. That is the most natural response to His greatness and glory. I want to live by that joy, knowing that God is at work all around me and that He gives me the opportunity every day to see Him and join Him in His work. As a result, I will get to know Him more. I will stand in awe every day. I will lie awake at night and jump out of bed in the morning - not just in Nicaragua, but wherever I am. This is because God's nature does not alter. His faithfulness does not end. His ability to work does not change from place to place. He is working here just like He is in Nicaragua, and we have the opportunity to see Him, experience Him, and participate with Him. We can live in constant joy all the time - a joy that is not affected by circumstances, but is a fruit of God's presence within and around us.
This joy is not only possible, it is natural.
I realize that of all the emotions I have felt - gratitude, happiness, homesickness, sadness, longing, delight, joy, amazement, awe - only one really makes sense. Joy! Yes, I miss Nicaragua, but it just doesn't make sense to spend the best month of your life there and then spend the rest of your life being sad about not being there. It doesn't make sense to see God's amazing works of love and grace and then respond to it with sadness. It just doesn't make sense to be a part of God's global mission and then go home and mope about it. What does make sense is this: the explosion of joy that radiates and shines to the world around you as a result of seeing, experiencing, and being a part of God's kingdom work. I know God better and saw Him clearer, so the only response that makes sense is a bubbling-over joy.
Today I am making a proclamation: the season of sadness has passed and the joy is shining through!
One of my favorite things about living in Jinotega for a month this summer was being surrounded by joyful people. I was so blessed to spend the month with three other great interns and a group of students from Harding University. Bonding happens quickly when you are serving God together, and we became a family-like community pretty quickly. When I think back on the whole month, I honestly cannot remember one time when we were ever short, cranky, or irritated with one another. All I remember is laughter, constant encouragement, spiritual bonding, and joy! When you wake up every day knowing that you are going to serve the Lord, see Him at work, and glorify Him, you can't help but feel God's joy. That joy is a fruit of His Spirit's presence. When the people you are surrounded by also live in that joy, it is like an endless cycle of positive encouragement.
There were even times when you wouldn't expect to find joy - like when we were on a five-hour bus ride at 12:45 at night. We had been awake since 4:00 that morning, spent all day on a wooden boat, been through the scorching heat and pouring rain, eaten nothing but trisket crackers, and were now sitting on a stuffy bus in wet clothes with bodies that hadn't showered in five days. This would be the perfect situation for crankiness and complaining, but what did I hear? Instead of griping, we were laughing and making jokes about our "soggy bottoms".
As a result of my time in Nicaragua, I can testify that it is possible to live in constant joy. Some might call it an unnatural joy, but I think it is the most natural response in the world. When you really know who God is, unstoppable joy is the only thing that makes sense.
I often couldn't fall asleep at night in Nicaragua because I would just stare at the ceiling and smile as I thought about how awesome God is. In the morning, I would jump out of bed at 5:30 with unexplainable energy because I knew that God had miracles in mind for the day.
That kind of joy makes sense when you think about who God really is. That is the most natural response to His greatness and glory. I want to live by that joy, knowing that God is at work all around me and that He gives me the opportunity every day to see Him and join Him in His work. As a result, I will get to know Him more. I will stand in awe every day. I will lie awake at night and jump out of bed in the morning - not just in Nicaragua, but wherever I am. This is because God's nature does not alter. His faithfulness does not end. His ability to work does not change from place to place. He is working here just like He is in Nicaragua, and we have the opportunity to see Him, experience Him, and participate with Him. We can live in constant joy all the time - a joy that is not affected by circumstances, but is a fruit of God's presence within and around us.
This joy is not only possible, it is natural.
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