I love that "Cloud-Rider" name. That is God! Who else can ride clouds! But the last part is what I want to talk about, the "Enjoy GOD, cheer when you see him!" part.
Wait! Back the truck up. What am I talking about? What can you feel when it happens? Okay, here it is: when I am with people I want them to enjoy being with me. I want to enjoy being with them. That's an indication of some good fellowship. Just enjoying each other. I thought about that when Psalm 68 commands us to simply, "Enjoy GOD, cheer when you see him!"
That's really what praise is about -- enjoying God. You know, I think we all want to be enjoyed. We don't want people to feel obligated to be around us. We don't want people to feel like they HAVE to spend time with us. I don't want that anyway. I don't want to hang out with anyone who doesn't want to hang out with me. Maybe God is the same way (but not in a self-centered way; in a perfect kind of way)?
Jesus does say he would rather have us cold or hot -- not lukewarm. What's lukewarm except that we think we HAVE to be there. We aren't excited. We aren't passionate. We aren't really desiring to be with Him, but we feel we must be with Him.
My son Hawk is great at this kind of discernment. He knows when someone is uncomfortable around him or sees him in pity or sees him like he is somehow not all there. Even though he doesn't talk or communicates in ways most people can understand, he understands what they are communicating to him. It doesn't get past him. If someone doesn't have time for him he doesn't have time for them. But when someone takes the time to genuinely talk to him he will respond.
Do you want to be with Jesus, Father and Spirit? They know if you do. I think deep down everyone wants to be with God. He created us to be in relationship with Him, but worldly desires, cravings and lusts get in the way of what's really important and if we focus on the stuff the world says is important we can't enjoy God. Life is so much better when we come to the place where we enjoy Him; where we enjoy being with Him. Are you there yet?
To enjoy hanging out with someone means you kind of get in sync with them. You kind of are on the same rhythm, the same understanding, maybe?
We have a German student staying with us for ten days. This was not my idea. Not that I don't want visitors, but when someone stays with you for a while life is interrupted and routines change; things are done differently. This isn't all bad. Some of it can be quite good (which I have found out). But when told we were going to do this I sighed big-time. See, our life has a very solid routine. As I see it played out with a visitor around I think this is because of Hawken and my care for him. It works for us, but I was so afraid someone else coming in for 10 days would be bored out of his mind. I can let "Entertainer Jane" out for a few hours, even for a few days (which I often do if someone is just here for two days or if I go visit family), but E.J. is exhausting to Everyday Jane. I knew I couldn't let E.J. reign for ten whole days.
Well, the time is going okay (even though we had two snow days this week -- wow -- snow days in early October). I think our guest is a bit shy but he's coming out of his shell and I think he is getting comfortable with us. I've seen him smile a lot and laugh. I don't know if our life is anything like what he thought an American household was like (maybe I'll ask him that today).
Oswald Chambers writes, God "has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways . . . Spiritual truth is learrned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning."
We're told in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
How can we do that? we might wonder. "Always" and "without ceasing" is every second, every nanosecond of the day and night.
I think it gets down to this notion of Enjoying God. If we stay aware of His presence we can enjoy Him as we go about our lives. For then He is part of it all and that is what He wants. Not for Himself, but for us! When we let Him be part of all we do everything takes on real meaning, real purpose; the load of life is lifted from our shoulders and given to Christ. Everything is better when God is involved. Everything. Joy is more profound. Grief is easier to bear. Challenges are no longer impossible because God always makes a way through them or over them or under them. Everything is better. We can enjoy others more when God is there because He loves them so very much. He can give us understanding and love for absolutely anyone and everyone. And He will if we let Him.
For the last few months my posting on this blog has lessened. For years I've been posting several times a week, but this year it has become once a week and now it has become less than once a week. This last time it has been three weeks since I've posted. It isn't that I don't want to post. I love writing. I write daily in my journal. I read many, many books (which good writers do). I long to write. And I have a dream of writing in such a way to reach a huge audience for Jesus. I have ideas for books. I've started and stopped. But lately I just think it doesn't matter anymore. If I never write another book life will continue and life is still very, very good. Great really. I have a beautiful grandson. Being a grandma is such a lovely gift from God. For years I was not content in my role as a caregiver because I was looking at it wrong. Thinking I needed to contribute in a "bigger" way to make my life count. That is thought influenced by the world's values. Our lives count just because God created us to be loved by Him and to love Him and others. That's it. We count because we are God's. Because He chose to create us from nothing. Just from His words and love.
Thank you for reading my blog. I will continue to post but it might continue to be just once every couple weeks. I invite you to click on some of the several (way too many) categories that are listed on the side. There are some very good blog posts that might speak to you. Enjoy the people in your life. And let them enjoy you. And most importantly, enjoy Jesus. Enjoy Father. Enjoy Spirit!