Why Enjoying God Matters
As promised, I wanted to revisit this idea of “Enjoying God.”
Last week, I shared how unusual a concept it always was for me to “enjoy God.” I had always heard other words lumped with God… like, “obey God.”
And while obeying God is very important (& VALUABLE to us), if we neglect the idea of ENJOYING God while instructing others to obey God, we are missing a huge chunk of the WHY we obey God… not that we obey Him to get what we want from Him, but that His commands are always meant to benefit us & that’s why He instructs us in the ways that He does.
Way Beyond the Practical
So, today I want to revisit this concept that we dove into a couple weeks ago, where I shared about the many ways God reveals His love to us in the world around us aka His creation.
God lavishes on us in so many unnecessary ways, ways that go way beyond the practical. For example, He didn’t just create one type of plant, in one shape & color & size for the purpose of providing oxygen to us, but MANY types of plants in MANY shapes & MANY colors & MANY sizes. (& even different scents!) And that’s just the plants!
All we have to do is look up to see the sky in all its many beautiful colors & always-changing designs, to see how God goes above & beyond the practical to reveal His love for us.
God WANTS us to enjoy His many blessings that He has made for us!
He Makes It Personal
But today, I want to talk about something that isn’t just about enjoying God through the beauty & wonder of His creation, but enjoying God on a much deeper level–a personal level.
He knows you… & I mean KNOWS you. He created you & knows every little thing there IS to know about you… even the subconscious things you can’t or won’t admit to yourself whether you are unaware or are hiding from scars. He KNOWS you… And He LOVES you.
He loves you so much that although He knew you would rebel against Him & go your own way (even when we do day-to-day thinking we’re good enough on our own), He planned a way to redemption through His Son Jesus & He made you anyway, even with such a high price to win you back. He LOVES you.
And He WANTS you to ENJOY that great & faithful & gracious & WONDERFUL love that He has for you! So let’s talk about it.
Sit, Walk, Stand… Let’s Sit First
If you finish this blog post & think, “I want MORE of this topic,” please check out the short book, “Sit, Walk, Stand,” by Watchman Nee, which you can find on Amazon (for about $6 at the time of me writing this post.) I found it easy to read & super encouraging/informative. Check it out!
In his book, Nee mentioned that when we turn to Jesus & submit our brokenness to Him & ask Jesus to save us from our sins, accepting His loving & powerful payment on our behalf… when we start submitting our life to Jesus Christ & God’s way, it doesn’t start with a big DO, but with a big DONE.
Were You There? Were You Able? … But, GOD
Were you there when God created everything? Nope. (God took care of it all for us. Ask Job, who was asked this by God in Job, chapter 38)
Were you able to save yourself & make yourself right before God? Nope. (But Jesus offered His life for US! Read Romans 5, focusing on verse 8, for some WONDERFUL encouragement!)
Is your life of following God up to your own strength, efforts, goodness, wisdom, power, etc.? Nope. (You don’t become God when you accept Jesus’ gift of reconciliation with God… you’re still just human, BUT you have FULL access to God & all of His resources to help you as you lean on Him for HELP. Read 2 Peter 1, focusing on verse 3.)
Our life as a Christian, abiding in Jesus, doesn’t start with a big DO, but with a big DONE.
Even God’s COMMANDS Are For Our GOOD
Does this mean we have zero responsibility? Nope. But it DOES mean that God helps us with HIS power through EVERY responsibility we have AND every responsibility we have is ALSO FOR OUR GOOD.
God doesn’t arbitrarily give us instructions & commands to assert power & authority over us or to have us PROVE our faith… NO. He gives these instructions & commands because He knows it will benefit us &/or protect us from so many lasting & unnecessary hurts, most of which we don’t even realize we’re succumbing to on this earth because it quite honestly just seems like the norm.
Let Him Handle the Rest
It’s not up to you to SAVE the world. You can’t.
It’s not up to you to CONVINCE the world of the Truth. You can’t.
It’s not up to you to do ALL the things. You can’t.
It IS up to you to walk on the path that God illuminates for you as you learn to trust & love Him more, letting Him take the lead, letting Him provide you with what you need to accomplish the tasks He sets before you, AND letting Him handle the rest.
That’s where the SIT part comes in as the starting point in Watchman Nee’s book that I mentioned above… You SIT in a KNOWING that it’s not up to you, but Him. That He starts you out with a giant DONE, versus a giant DO.
Let Me Set the Record Straight
If you browse my website or read my blog posts or watch my Facebook LIVEs or enjoy my weekly emails & think to yourself, “well, of course SHE does this stuff because SHE seems to have bigger faith than me… or more wisdom… or more self-discipline… or less of a past… or less trauma… or whatever it is.… Let me set the record straight for you RIGHT NOW.
I AM JUST A PERSON. I am weak. I am generally lazy & a procrastinator. I worry WAY TOO MUCH. I stress out. I try to self-solve, self-soothe, & self-shield until every effort of mine has failed BEFORE I weakly cry out to God for help. I tend to pray for comfort versus courage. I trust myself more than I trust the God who made me. I want to quit whenever I get a single criticism. I am insecure. I struggle with image issues. I have trauma I wrestle with sometimes. I AM JUST A PERSON.
ENJOY GOD
God wants us to SIT in KNOWING that our success or effectiveness or courage DO NOT come from US, but as a RESULT of trusting HIM. He wants us to find rest & peace & JOY in trusting that He’s got it covered & that if we JUST show up with a willing heart to honor Him, He will take care of the rest as we lean into Him for it!
Trust God! He’s Got You!
I literally whine, mope, beg to avoid, want easy, crave comfort, feel stubborn & obstinate, but then I beg God, “God, You are so much bigger than all my reasons not to. And although I am just a weak human, You are NOT. So, help me. Be what I need to fill in my gaps. Help me be faithful when I want to quit. Help me allow my vulnerabilities & insecurities & failures & weaknesses be opportunities to show others that even in the many ways that I CAN’T, YOU CAN. Help me to show up. Help me to trust You enough to SHOW UP. And work through me. Use my life to bring others to the hope we can only find in You. Help me in my own weakness to be a vessel for Your grace. Thank You that You are ALWAYS, 100% ENOUGH. And help me. Please. Amen.”
Unwilling, But Willing to Ask God to Change My Opinion
And sometimes, guess what… my prayers sound more like this, “God, I don’t want to. Please don’t make me do this. I am too SHY! I am too worried I won’t be able to do this! I don’t want to set myself up for criticism! I just want to be invisible. Please let me be invisible…………….. SIGH. But… God… I do know that MAYBE You can help me & that MAYBE You know better than me & know what’s best for me & can handle all my mess. So……. Can You help me be willing to trust You? I don’t know if I can in this. I want to run from it, not stand in faith. I don’t have enough faith. So…… maybe if You help me? Please help me be willing to trust You & ask for Your help versus running & hiding. Help me trust You… PLEASE. Amen.”
Because it’s not about how big your faith is, but how big your GOD IS.
Take your weaknesses, insecurities, vulnerabilities, AND UNWILLINGNESS to Him & ask for His help through it.
Enjoying God, Part 2
You see, God didn’t stop at helping us enjoy Him with the BEAUTY & WONDER of nature & His creation…. He cares about that heart of yours on a MUCH deeper level, Beautiful.
He created you. He knit you together. He planned for Jesus to rescue you before you even had a chance to wrong Him. He knows your every thought & He loves you more than anyone EVER could.
And He starts your journey of following after & abiding in Him with a giant DONE.
Learn to ENJOY God & All That He Willingly Offers to You If You But ASK
Our “job” is to learn to enjoy Him… To sit in wonder of His great love… To praise Him for His beautiful creation… To give Him GLORY & point to Him in ALL things because we know He offers that same HOPE of grace to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who is willing to run to Him… & to realize that because He loves us so BIG, we can trust Him in EVERYTHING & turn to Him in, through, & for EVERYTHING…. And because we trust Him & all He has DONE & will do, we obey… with His help.
That is how we can ENJOY Him. That is how we can SIT, as Nee’s book says. And after we SIT there, that is how we can WALK with His help & also STAND in His strength.
ASK HIM. Please, Ask Him.
If you struggle knowing how you could possibly have that kind of rest & peace, start there & ask God to help you see His perspective, because He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or even IMAGINE. (Ephesians 3, focusing on verse 20)
So, ask Him. And enjoy Him. And trust Him.
Shine Hope by enjoying all God has DONE & by enjoying God’s lavished LOVE & GRACE & MERCY on ALL who put their hope & trust in Him.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
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A Note from Michelle:
This blog/website has been running for over TWO years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
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Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Radiant Necklace SET
On-trend set of 3 layered necklaces (Only ONE of 3 shown in photo) that can be worn together or separately, featuring one necklace with a labradorite stone, one with hammered discs, & one with a blue topaz crystal drop.
Artisan Information:
In India, poverty is rampant & fair working conditions are hard to find. Every purchase provides women with income, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members. Many of these artisans have been exploited by sweatshops in the past but are now receiving fair wages as artisans in safe & caring fair-trade workshops.
Purchase this piece & empower a woman in India!
How You Can Help:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
