Not much in our culture encourages a joyous celebration. Turn on the TV news and you'll get a gulp of yesterday's problems, today's hysteria, and tomorrow's headaches. On the street you'll pass unhappy people dealing with broken relationships and difficult issues. At work you'll struggle to solve problems.
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Joy certainly isn't the normal mood for the world around us. That's why we need a completely new frame of mind when we turn our thought to God. Sometimes it feels like taking a long, overdue shower.
I use to live a ninety-minute drive from the beach. Often the family would head out for a day of fun in the sun and sand and enjoy a picnic and swim. But I also remember the long drive home that same evening. With the sting of sunburn, ice burning from the salt water, arms and legs sticky and gritty from tunnels and sand castles, the family got grouchier as the miles wore on. Nothing felt better than stepping into a hot shower and washing all the grit and salt away. Clean and fresh ones again, moods lifted
We need much the same transformation when we come before God's presence.
We need to shower off the grit and grime that distracts our attention and shift our focus to the things that generate a real celebration: gratefulness that elects us serve his purposes here on earth.
Gratefulness that he forgives us when we mess things up in our lives. Gratefulness that he doesn't keep changing his character and his standards from week to week or year to year. Gratefulness that he is always there waiting no matter what mood we are experiencing.
No matter how gritty things around you become, celebrate that he showers you with forgiveness, protection, kindness, mercy and love when you enter his presence.