Encouragement to me and hopefully to you

I have started reading this book called "Crazy Love." Yesterday I read a chapter that was basically on stress, worry, and life. The author brought up so many good points and there were some that really stuck out to me that I wanted to share with you. Worry and stress are things that I struggle with and this brought life into perspective for me. What does the Lord require of me even when life is tough? Anyways - here are the brief excepts that stuck out to me from Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love."

But then there's that perplexing command: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE!" (Phil. 4:4) You'll notice that it doesn't end with "...unless you're doing something extremely important." No, it's a command for all of us and it follows with the charge, "Do not be anxious about anything." (verse 6) When I am consumed by my problems - stressed out about my life, my family, and my job - I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are invovled in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control. Basically, these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place that we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." That is what each of our lives is about. Maybe life's pretty good for you right now. God has given you this good stuff so that you can show the world a person who enjoys blessings, but who is still totally obsessed with God. Or maybe life is tough right now, and everything feels like a struggle. God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard. It is easy to become dissillusioned with the circumstances of our lives compared to others'. But in the presence of God, He gives us a deeper peace and joy that transcends it all.

To be brutally honest, it doesn't really matter what place you find yourself in right now. Your part is to bring Him glory. The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift.