Look Upward and Outward

* old video but still love it regardless :D

Charlie a cutie pie from church told me, "I'm going to Disneyland this week!" I wish you could see the glow on her face as she twirled around and had the biggest smile across her face.

For a moment, I thought, the Christian life is not rocket science. It's just like Charlie's reaction. Look at your destination, and therein lies joy.

Joy is not
a feeling determined by our circumstances or a careless "just be happy" 

Joy is
a fruit of the Spirit
the gift that we wrestle for against our fleshly complaints
inseparable from faith, believing in what is sometimes contrary to what we feel.
a command: "Rejoice in the Lord always"(Phil 4:4)
looking upward at who God is, what He has done, and where you are headed as a result
"bowing deeply" and living in Him, who is joy

I've been going through James in my devos recently, and I've been reminded to "count it all joy...when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."

The natural tendency is for people to look inward when they struggle. We get bogged down by troubles and become tunnel visioned. Christian, we have been given joy but we must continue to fixate our eyes upward and fight for joy. When we are not ruled by difficulties encountered, we are
not enslaved to focus on ourselves. We lose the spiritual glaucoma, and God gives us freedom to love others as we face hardships. Look upward and outward.