Do people see us enjoying… life, faith, and work?

Our lives should give others an appetite for Jesus. Many people are hungry for passion and purpose with no clue that God gives gladness of heart! Enjoying life is explained divinely in Ecclesiastes 5:18 - ‘This is what I have observed to be good; for a person to eat, drink, and enjoy their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days God gives them - for this is their lot. When God gives wealth, possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil - this is a gift from God.’ God’s gift of enjoying life is meant for all His children; how sad when God’s gift goes unopened, causing lean appetites for Jesus with many missing the joy of everyday life! 1 Peter 5:7 proclaims ‘ We are God’s personal concern. The fruit is what God produces in us.’ Romans 8 teaches the importance of being transformed into His image. When busyness becomes our way of life - facing distractions, feeling overwhelmed, being fragmented and weary - we easily wrestle instead of nestle with the Lord and loved ones. God wants first fruits and time with His children. He longs to love and to be loved tenderly and true. What does He enjoy about HIs time with me...with you? Are we wearily or wonderfully scripting our stories and sharing time making precious memories with our Father and family? He longs to see us enjoying life with an appetite solely for Thee; time is nigh and the choice is up to you and me! Isaiah proclaimed we become weary when wearing a mask of busyness, while the devil makes us busy when he can’t make us bad! Now is the time to prune things that steal our joy and focus on what makes God glad! Jesus put BEING before DOING in perspective while telling stories to Mary and waiting for Martha to finish cleaning and cooking when he visited in their home. Mary chose to rest in Him and reap the joy of hearing His stories. She enjoyed time with Jesus while Martha worked herself into a frenzy leaving no time to connect with Christ! Jesus never said DON’T DO; He emphasized DON’T OVERDO! He encouraged resting not rushing while enjoying each day the Lord hath made! So... do people see us enjoying life even when a season of problems, political ploy, and Pandemic plagues our planet? When people see us enjoying our faith - ‘‘for such a time as this’ as fear lurks like a lion ready to devour - we proclaim our love and loyalty to Christ the King with divine power who could return any hour! As August comes to a close and ‘Summer 2020’ slowly subsides, will a new season ( my favorite - Autumn) bring bigger blessings to enjoy or burdens to bear? I’m believing bigger blessings will come as we learn to enjoy the good life God gives in ways we can only imagine!! These uncertain times offer endless opportunities to enjoy life while doing things differently and coming closer to our Lord an d loved ones. My summer work at The Learning Station and Tim’s Gift was done differently but enjoyed immensely! ! I wondered what we would do with our little flock of lambs from seven until five thirty with no pool, skating, and visits inside local rest homes, Prayers were answered as doors divinely opened for our children to enjoy sharing Jesus on a ton of Sonshine visits, each child shared June presentations about something they enjoyed doing and their heroes in July, make over 800 cards with a verse from Colossians we shared wherever we went, and bake goodies we delivered to families in need. The children helped restock shelves at Tim’s Gift with supplies, organize and clean equipment, and pray with people who came to give help or to receive help! Every child wrote (or drew pictures with help on writing) daily in personal journals that tell their stories of a Pandemic Summer, loved weekly visits to Papa Pete’s Farm, learned weekly Bible verses, witnessed in ways only He could make possible, learned tic toc dances and created songs and stories to remember our special summer. God was with us as we worked, played, and enjoyed sharing the love of Jesus every long, hot day! Yes, it was a sweet summer season filled with passion and purpose. Was your summer season enjoyable though it was not normal? What plans do you pray pan out for Autumn? Do people see you enjoying your life and standing strong in faith even as the enemy pounds and God’s love surrounds!