What is your experience of yourself, life, and God at this moment?

This was the question that I encountered yesterday and have been reflecting on over the past 24 hours.

Yesterday I touched on self, today I am going to explore the question of, what is my experience of life at this moment.

We live in a fallen world, and society seems to be getting further and further from the Lord. Just in my lifetime alone it feels like a war on all things good and moral is happening and we are helpless to stop it. Speaking truth can have lasting and negative repercussions whereas screaming falsehoods appears to bring accolades. Everything seems upside down.

There are no answers to the problems of the world, except in the Lord. We are called to be a light in a dark world and light needs oxygen to shine. As Christians, Scripture is our source of oxygen, daily communication with the Lord is our fuel, and a commitment to holiness is our wick.

What is my experience of life in this moment?

Life is peace. In previous posts I have talked about the chaos in my head and all the struggles that I have encountered over the past years, particularly in the past few months. God has taken each and every one of those struggles and strengthened my foundation in Him. The struggles are still there, but the weight of them is firmly planted on God’s foundation.

So what do I mean by life is peace? This is difficult to explain because feelings are unique to everyone and the definition of those feelings are different depending on each individual’s life experiences. Peace to me is not wrestling with thoughts that are meant to destroy me. Peace is knowing that in those moments when I start to feel anxious or worried, I can look to the Lord. I can give it to Him and He lightens the burden.

We know it is true that when we are seeking the Lord’s will for our life, the things that are not of Him are things we cannot now enjoy like we once did. That life feels empty and there is no longer any satisfaction in the things that once seemed to bring so much pleasure. Our eyes are open to the sin around us and we want to run as far from it as we can. This transformation is an opportunity to move toward the peace that God promises when we come into His presence.

My eyes have been opened, and at times it is very difficult to comprehend how I was blinded to the sin around me and unconcerned about it’s impact on my pursuit of holiness. No, I didn’t participate in the sinful lifestyles, but neither did I distance myself from them or their influence. My thought processes changed and before I knew it I found myself defending sin. But God opened my eyes and drew me away from that life in a powerful ripping of the sail resulting in a jolt that tossed me overboard. I found myself lost for a moment but He was there with his arms open and ready to welcome me home, thankfully before I strayed too far.

I am sure there are many from that world who just don’t understand what is happening and why I have stepped away from what once was a source of enjoyment. There are those who are indifferent to the distance, and likely those who haven’t even noticed. Unless in this situation I have been an example and a witness for Christ, none of this matters. What matters is that those who I have surrounded myself with are rejoicing in this journey I am on. What matters is what God is doing in my life and in the lives of those who He has deemed would be touched by my walk.

Therefore thus says the LORD, If you return, then will I bring you again, and you shall stand before me: and if you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth: let them return unto you; but return not you unto them. Jeremiah 15:19

Today’s thought: When a Christian opens their eyes to the ungodliness around them, and steps out in faith to make a change, the angels rejoice as should we. Be careful to examine any negativity toward this change, for this is not from the Lord.

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