Confessions of a Dancer...

Sometimes, you just need to dance down the aisle of a grocery store. Sometimes, you need to sing in the rain. All of this means just letting go. There are no worries, no sorrows, no problems. You put them aside for that brief instance and you dance. And that is why i think it is so theraputic.

Something I've been realizing lately though is God's joy works the same. It's been crazy this summer to realize that no matter what the situation, I can still find reason to smile. God's Joy and Love just overwhelm me at times. And compared to that love, my worries are pennies. It has changed how I act outwardly too.I'm much more of an optimist now and I smile more :)

Now make no mistake, joy is not happiness.Happiness comes only for a brief moment. It will quickly fade away and it depends on your circumstances. But joy is everlasting because our God is everlasting. We have purpose. We have one who fights and protects us. We have a reason to keep living. Psalm 30:5 "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." And the more in-tune with God you become, the more you dance to His rythym, the more joyful you are. Honestly, I believe this is how the world can set us apart. There's just something about us.

Asking most people what they want from life gets the same answer, "I just want to be happy." There is a common belief that happiness is something that can be achieved and held on to it. We look forward to that time in which we can finally be happy, but it's never going to happen! The world has mistaken shere joy for happiness. They think, "Oh if I graduate high school, then I will be happy." And once they do, "Oh, if I get a college education, then I will be happy. Oh if I get married, then I will be happy. Oh when things get better, then I will be happy." But it's never going to be enough. You are never going to be happy all the time. That's not what happiness is designed for. It was designed for only a short time. And I believe the purpose of this is so you can recognize your need of joy. Because joy is everlasting! It fills in the gaps that happiness cannot.

Happiness cannot occur when there is sorrow, but joy can. Happiness cannot occur when situations go bad, but joy can. Happiness cannot get you through the stresses of life, but joy can. So, when people say they "just want to be happy" they are severely shallowing themselves. I don't want to be happy. I want to be joyful because it is so much deeper. It goes beyond happiness and is rooted in Christ.

Now this isn't going to say that every day of your life is going to be supercalifragalisticexpialidocious. That's not reality. I mean come on, we live in a fallen world. But with joy comes hope. And hope is the faith that things will get better. The faith that God is working even in the crummy circumstances. And you know what. That makes me happy :)

Joy, is how we get through the "tough stuff." Because Joy turns you into an optimist. It's the strangest feeling. Your heart is aching, but yet you're excited for it because you begin to realize just what God is doing. He's working something that's not quite done yet. And it gives you the hope, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6).

And I know it sounds weird, but I get somewhat excited when I or friends go through stuff. And it's not in a sadistic way of I like to see them in pain, but it's because I know what God is doing. Everything has a purpose. And they will not be the same after the experience. God is molding them and shaping them. God is there and He is declaring it!

And that is joy my friends. That is reason to smile every day. Because God is not only living. He did not only conquor death and save us. He is not just sitting in heaven watching us. He is active. He is involved. He is in every gosh darn thing you're doing. Fervently. That's pretty awesome! And trials seem often the times when I'm most reminded of that. So I begin to realize just what James is talking about when he says, "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." (James 1:2)

So why not dance?

Psalm 30:11 "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."