Go and Celebrate

 

Nehemiah 8:10(NLT)
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

What do you do when circumstances don’t go your way? Do you flake out and get angry or do you trust God and remain at peace?

Being completely transparent when it comes to my emotions hasn’t always been a strength of mine, and to be honest, I’m still working on it. Being emotionally transparent is when you allow yourself to be open and vulnerable to folks. The uncomfortable part about this is that it can open you up for the opinions and rebuke of others. This can sting, and if you’ve encountered it repeatedly, you can go from being emotionally transparent and outgoing, to preferring to remain out of the spotlight and closed off, so to speak. This probably isn’t what any of us had in mind when we were carefree children, playing and celebrating life. As we get older, though, the cruelty and negativity of others can choke some of this cheerfulness out of us and leave us with the task of trying to somehow get it back.

It would be wonderful if every child were brought up in a supportive environment and was taught the Word of God from the very beginning. This would instill an impenetrable confidence in them as well as a happiness that isn’t based on external circumstances but comes from the love of Jesus Christ deep within them. This is God’s desire for us, that we will trust Him to take care of us, and that we will not look to others and material things for the love that can only come from Him. But sadly, many of us do not grow into our adult years understanding God’s love or having confidence in it, therefore, some of our choices and decisions are based on insecurity, doubt, and fear.

Our insecurities, doubts, and fears are not always apparent to us, and they can show up in unexpected ways. Sometimes we react to situations and circumstances, and don’t understand why we’ve gotten so upset or why we shutdown. When I was a young woman in my twenties, I allowed my feelings and emotions to run the show, and I let my feelings and emotions control how I responded to life. If a relationship with someone I really liked wasn’t going well, I’d get up in the morning sad and carry that sadness throughout my day. If someone upset me, I’d carry the anger and upset with me. I didn’t know that I was supposed to take authority through the Lord Jesus Christ and respond to situations in life the way that he did.

In John 8:29(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.” This is our example. It is the attitude and mindset that we are supposed to follow. Jesus Christ always did the Will of God. He was called names, talked about negatively behind his back, and people wanted to destroy him, but he always responded by doing only the things that God would do. Jesus Christ was not weak or timid. He was the most powerful person that ever walked the face of this earth. He could have wiped out all the evil people that existed, but he didn’t do this. He was humble and kind, and he always responded to people and situations with great strength, but also with great love and compassion.

He did this because he had full confidence that God backed his steps. He said in John 8:29 that the Father had not left him alone. Jesus Christ understood that God was always and forever with him, and he was also extremely confident that he had nothing to fear; each of us should have this same confidence. The sting of hurt and heartbreak can make us fearful of experiencing this pain again. And some of us allow ourselves to develop a habit of lashing out or bringing ourselves equal to the angry or confrontational tone that is being presented by the other person. We are commanded by Christ to choose differently. Back and forth negativity begins a cycle that continues, but if we meet situations with the strength of the love of Christ, we put a stop to pain and fear.

A woman of God said to me, “feeling good is everything!” Four simple words, but it packs a big wallop of truth behind it. Feeling good is a choice. It’s a choice to totally trust and lean on God, and this is what He desires us to do. When you wake up in the morning without a zestful feeling of assurance in your heart and mind, you might be tempted to let misery overtake your day. You might then choose to feel down and discouraged, but if you will pray and ask for God’s help, He will do a work on the inside of you through His powerful Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives inside every born-again believer, and he comforts, teaches, strengthens, and guides us to God’s truth!

The truth is that the love of God can move any mountain out of your way. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 11:29(NLT), “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We need to rest peacefully, and Jesus Christ invites us to do this in him, where peace, rest, and comfort abide. We must remind ourselves of our identity in Christ each morning and give our days over to God. He cannot fail, and He is faithful to keep us according to His promises. We don’t have to let our emotions and feelings govern our lives. Instead, we must bring them under the leadership of Christ. When we obey his example in faith, every day will be the celebration God means for it to be. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Go and Celebrate”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.