Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves too seriously. It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride.
Richard Foster
As a barre instructor, I try to incorporate moving our hips side to side in every class. Why? To get us all to giggle a little. We naturally take ourselves too seriously, and a fitness class is no exception. I want to make you smile and laugh and actually have a little fun.
We spend lots of energy on our bodies – lunging, lifting, walking, measuring, evaluating – but do we ENJOY them? We spend lots of energy taking care of our families and home, but do we ENJOY time with them? We spend lots of energy working and serving, but do we ENJOY the fruits of our labor? Is it just me? Or do some of you take yourself (and how you spend your time and energy) too seriously as well?
My dear friend, Karlie Scharrer, is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and let me be a guinea pig for an assessment she offers as part of her services. By taking a hair clipping and submitting it for analysis, one can get a more accurate assessment of mineral and nutrient absorption and other health stats. My results were interestingly accurate as they not only gave me values and ratios of my body absorption and physical health, they also reported significant stress. While her complete follow up was comprehensive, detailed, and super valuable, with suggested next steps, one keep take away was my need to ‘rest and digest’.
Why is it tough for me to rest and digest? Because I take myself too seriously! Which in turn steals nutrients from my body! And steals joy and peace as well . . .
A thief comes to only steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
John 10:10
Have you taken time recently to reflect on the ‘abundant life’ the Lord desires for us? The life He gave His own life for? The joy and peace beyond understanding He freely gives? How He can and will do more than we ask, think or imagine? I don’t ask this to stir guilt but to stir up the freedom to ‘rest and digest’ and enjoy!
Because of You, I know the path of life, as I taste the fullness of joy in Your presence. At Your right side I experience divine pleasures forevermore!
Psalm 16:11 TPT
We tend to focus on taking care of all the people and things around us while neglecting to take care of ourselves. This also applies to experiencing, feeling, and healing. While I don’t want to get on a self-care soapbox as I don’t necessarily agree with all the world offers on this topic, I do want us to consider how we can let the Lord and others take care of us. To clarify, the Lord and others taking care of us is a both/and reality. The Lord takes care of us. Others take care of us. The Lord uses others to take care of us. Life is relational, and in a relationship, we ideally give AND receive. But do we let the Lord and others take care of us?
At church this past Sunday, the worship pastor made a statement about Mary and Martha. And while we’ve likely heard all kinds of teachings and interpretations about these two wonderful women, we women can often just find the story convicting. Yet I loved this pastor’s simple yet powerful statement:
‘If you don’t have Mary moments, you can’t be a Martha.’
Jason White
This is another both/and reality. Both Mary and Martha add value and are key players in this Biblical story. And we can’t just decide to be one or the other – life requires both. If we are like Martha and take ourselves too seriously, giving giving giving, we’ll end up running on fumes. But when we make time to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary, receiving receiving receiving, we’ll gain the fuel we need to burn bright!
Yet even in our burning bright, we can take ourselves too seriously! Being a light is an overflow of what the Lord is doing in our own souls, not a result of our striving. When we let Him, He fills us abundantly and then some. We can’t help but bless others and burn bright when we allow His consuming fire to burn within us.
As we continue our focus on joy, I encourage you to identify ways you can add some fun and laughter into your day! Shake those hips side to side. Laugh at yourself being silly. Laugh at yourself making mistakes. Take some time to dance. Look up funny memes. Pause to rest and sit and just connect with your family. Play some board games. Take a long indulgent shower. Bake a yummy dessert and savor it. Make a fun playlist of happy music. Move in love AND joy!
When I saw this quote below on Instagram, it quickly got my attention and stuck with me. And true to my nature, I now want to share it with all of you. Keep trying in His care, don’t take yourself too seriously, move in love, and live in His abundance.
Burning Bright! 