fear,
disappointment,
worry,
school,
family,
deadlines,
pain,
drama.
Life hurts. It's often too much trouble to put on a happy face and pretend everything is okay. So we force ourselves through the days, just "getting by", avoiding anything that might make us feel guilty about our mopiness. That's what it really is, isn't it?
"We look and swell with the ache of a broken, battered planet..."If we're honest with ourselves, we will admit that this attitude towards life roots itself to the idea that our Creator is indifferent and deficient. Otherwise, he would fix things. He would fix our lives. 'Cause then we could be happy (duh!).
Does this sound familiar? Many of us (myself included) have reached this point at some time in our lives. But I am starting this blog to share with you a greater truth:
Our Lord has a startling, beautiful, glorious, and spectacular purpose in all this suffering.
"His secret purpose framed from the very beginning is to bring us to our full glory." (Cor. 2:7)
We need to pull our eyes off of ourselves and our perceived "troubled lives" and get our eyes back on our Creator who wants to bring us to our full glory.
But how? I can barely get out of bed in the morning! The lists in my head, the disappointments, the guilt, the judgement... it is too overwhelming. My life, my pitiful life, could never be brought to Full Glory.
Friends, I would posit that we can obtain a road map to the Joyful-Godfilled life through the understanding and appreciation of the word "eucharisteo".
"Eucharisteo" is a Greek word that has a three-strand meaning: thanksgiving. grace. and joy.
A triplet of stars, a constellation in the black. A threefold cord that might hold a life? Offer a way up into the fullest life? Grace, thanksgiving, joy.
Eucharisteo.Join my journey in discovering eucharisteo and how, through thanksgiving, grace, and joy, I can better understand, appreciate, and love my Great Savior.
I don't want to go through the motions. I want a life of dynamic joy in my Lord.