If Something Can Steal Your Joy (PART 2)

 

Typically, all I need to do to get the incessant thoughts running through my mind to stop is to write it out. That's what I did yesterday...yet...here we are haha!


I shared yesterday about my journey the last 18 months and how it became clear to me that the Lord had been scrubbing my life and heart clean of idols.  I didn't really think about those things as idols until I heard the quote "If something can steal your joy, it's become an idol".

SO many things...good things, even!...had become "idols" based on that quote's reasoning.  My joy was unhealthily rooted in things other than the Lord, which left me tossing from joy to despair based on life's circumstances.  


But in my sharing the way I did yesterday, did I leave people feeling dread, fear, or worse...did I leave people thinking that God is cruel or unfeeling?  I want to clear that up right this minute!


The heart of God is kind, gentle, and tender.  AND He's fierce in His love and devotion to His children.  The Bible even describes Him as a jealous God. (Exodus 20:4-5)  In fact, this section of scripture is speaking specifically about idol worship!


We have a confused way of thinking of jealousy.  In our culture, we often confuse holy jealousy with mere coveting.  God is not wringing His hands wishing He had something someone else has (coveting).  "Jealousy" in this passage refers to a passionate zeal.  Uncompromising.  Unwilling to share what belongs to Him.

Bottom line - He takes His relationship with us VERY seriously.  He is in covenant with His people.  It's an emotional and legal agreement that He sealed with His own blood - that's how serious it is to Him!

"Jealousy" as we often use the word gives the impression of pettiness or silliness.  There is nothing petty or silly about this though.


Instead, this is like a husband's protective and passionate heart for his precious bride.  Do we criticize a man for loving his wife and not wanting her affections to be for another?  Of course not!  Devotion and single-mindedness to a spouse is beautiful and holy.  In fact, earthy marriage is meant to be a reflection of God and His bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:32).



THAT is the kind of jealousy we're talking about here.  



So did "God hurt me" because of the idolatry in my life?

I endured some pain, yes.  But it was MY actions that caused the pain, not God's.  



An illustration:  Think of a rough piece of wood.  A child wants to know how it feels, so they reach out their hand to feel it's texture.  Their loving parent says, "Watch out!  That will leave you with slivers of wood in your hand!"...yet the curious child runs their hand along the wood anyway.

Big surprise...a hand full of slivers is the result.

The loving parent carefully and gently pulls the slivers out to stop the pain and to avoid infection.  But the process of pulling them is painful in itself!

So...is the parent to blame here?  Did the parent cause the suffering?  The parent did what was necessary to protect the long term health of the child, and it was a painful process.  But the root cause of the overall suffering was the child being out of order (disobedient).




It's similar in my idolatry lesson... 

The process for removing the "slivers" was necessary for my long term overall health, and most importantly, for my relationship with the Lord.  And the process stung a bit.



But the reason the slivers were there were all on me.  Not that I willfully disobeyed...I was just way too "self" focused....what made sense to me?  What was logical?  What made the human financial math work? What were other humans saying?



The Kingdom of God is not logic and mathematical and based on man's thoughts or words.



Often times, the Kingdom seems backwards and upside down.  This makes me think of the scripture about "seeing in a mirror dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:12).  Maybe it's ACTUALLY and LITERALLY like we're looking in a dim mirror...maybe that wasn't a figure of speech at all!  Maybe the TRUTH is literally backwards from what I'm seeing, just like my reflection in a mirror is backward from what others see when they see me "face to face" (1 Cor 13:12 again).

So we're asked to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7)

We sometimes think of living by faith as difficult because (by definition) we can't SEE what's going on, and we're taught early that "seeing is believing".  But could it be that this is a very practical way of instructing us since everything "by sight" is actually backwards?


Walking by sight will lead us the wrong way nearly every single time.  We are instructed to follow the leading of the Lord by faith...to live in a way where we know and trust Him so much, that we simply do and go whatever and wherever He leads. (Proverbs 16:9)

This is the process of "Sanctification" (1 Thes 5:23, John 17:17).  I was saved when I surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus for my life...but I've been a work in progress ever since.  We're called to grow to be more like Jesus every day (sanctification)...and sometimes the process means that some deeply rooted stuff needs to be pulled, pruned, and unlearned.  The more deeply attached I am to the unhealthy stuff, the more it stings to have it pruned.



This is what death to self looks like. (John 12:24)



This is what picking up a cross and dying for God's higher purpose looks like. (Luke 9:23)



And I'm all in.



I'm all in because the Lord has nurtured me into a more patient, trusting, peaceful, and joyful woman after having some of the junk pruned.  Not despite the process...BECAUSE of the process.  He is gentle and kind and patient.



And I'm all in because I love Him with my whole heart.



I want Him to find in me a devoted, committed, passionately in love bride.  I want Him to be honored by my trust in Him.  I want my life to reflect His goodness so that others who He loves will trust Him too.  I want His Kingdom to grow and for His precious blood to receive all that was purchased on that cross.



Rest easy, friends.  We don't have to fear our good Father.  Even in the challenging seasons, He is there and He is taking good care of us.