Unboxed

Don’t downgrade your joy, your dreams, your faith, or your relationships to fit your circumstances. Every time you agree with the enemy’s negative views of your life, you stuff your identity into ever–shrinking boxes to protect yourself from being hurt by what might go wrong. Every day those boxes have less and less room for God’s truth, love, grace, hope, joy, and freedom. There’s barely enough room for frustrated obedience to religious expectations.

For years, I could read (or preach) something like “in Him is fullness of joy,” but I couldn’t receive it. I would either believe that was for someone who wasn’t so broken, or someone who was more successful, which I’d been told meant large numbers of people who put large numbers of dollars in offerings.

Patience is an overlooked fruit of God’s Spirit. But it was His patient kindness that got me through all the times I gave into lies, self–pity, and negativity, until I could finally accept He loves me regardless of my performance. And once you accept that grace, He’s able to grow His joy, peace, kindness, goodness, favor, hope, and love in you, until they become not just second–nature, but your first.

Get rid of the boxes. Burn them. You do that by not allowing yourself to see today from anything less than God’s point of view–not your family, your job or coworkers, your house, car, or bills, and certainly not yourself. It means you intentionally look and listen for all the ways He’s showing you His goodness. Make decisions based on His peace, rather than on just pros and cons. Put yourself on a constant watch for His blessings and encouragements, instead of looking for everything that could go wrong.

Don’t tell me how difficult that is. I know. I am a recovering what-might-go-wrong addict. But in God’s grace, we can do it. Let your happiness be determined by how He sees you, and who He wants to be for you right now, instead of letting your circumstances determine how happy you’re allowed to be. You are who God says you are, not your bank account. Let Him upgrade your relationship with Him, and you’ll upgrade everything in your life.

“You will show me the way of life, because Your presence is joy itself” (Psalm 16:11a).