Yesterday was a hard day. Reality finally hit. My family and I are moving across state lines this week. I will admit, the stress of saying good-bye and packing finally got to me. I had a freak out moment…
Oh, and did I mention that our new home will not be ready for move in for over a month, until July 13th? {chuckle}
So… I spent the majority of the weekend planning and packing. Eventually, our dining room table became the place for the “must have/can’t live without/valuable items” to be taken with us in the car.
Being that I am Type-A, I initially fretted over how we were going to fit all of our “must have/can’t live without/valuable items” into our two vehicles. After calming down and spending hours prioritizing, guess what? We have more than enough room in our cars for everything! We really do not possess that many “must have/can’t live without/valuable items.”
As we cleaned out our library, I came across my copy of “14,000 things to be happy about.” I used to flip through this book and smile. For instance, the author lists some of the following as reasons to be happy: gardening in bottles, unusual toilet seats, antler hat racks, and turntables (pages 38-39).
These make you happy don’t they? {smile}
I am learning that the happiness things bring is only temporary. In fact, many of the things I own caused me to worry and wonder: what if this brakes, what if someone steals this from our car while we are asleep in the hotel, yada yada yada. See what I mean?
Can our possessions and 14,000 other things really make us happy?
My Keurig is one of those valuable items and is going in the car with me {smile}
No, I do not believe that our things are a source of permanent and life-changing happiness. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the source of lasting and life-changing happiness. If I am searching for happiness in an antler hat rack, new shoes, or yes, even a Keurig coffee maker, my happiness will be fleeting.
“Whom have I in heaven, but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My heart and my flesh may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
~Psalm 73:25-26, ESV
This is my favorite verse in all of Scripture. I think it captures the essence of what happened to me over the weekend. I love God with all of my heart and strength, yet because I am human, my heart and flesh (sin nature) still fail. I become distracted, let my guard down, or listen to lies, and then I freak out…proving once again, that I will never be beyond needing Jesus.
Thankfully, after trying to find comfort in some authentic Tex-Mex takeout (which also ended badly), I was able to spend some time in God’s Word last night. This morning I gave all the sadness and logistics over to God in prayer. I am now restored and ready to face today.
God IS my strength and portion forever. Praise Him!
As the places and faces around me change this week, I am keeping my focus on one thing, Jesus. For no matter what this new season before me brings, I know where happiness is found-in Jesus Christ alone.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
~Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV
Wait? Comfort doesn’t come from Tex-Mex takeout?! Great reminder, Tracy. That Psalm is one of my favorite verses too.
It was a sad day indeed, Eileen when my Tex-Mex failed me…:). But seriously, the book of Psalms has been such a great comfort to me over the past 6 months. I keep coming back to it! I love how the Psalmists show the reality of the human heart mixed with faith and hope… Just so many wonderful passages to be encouraged by and there are many that have helped guide my prayer life too.
Thank you for your comment, and may your happiness in Christ overflow today Eileen!:)
Unusual toilet seats??? Sounds like the author made money by filling people’s mind with nonesense.
Okay you all, Jenet is my bff and clearly the more practical one in our relationship :). I think she is saying this so she can borrow my copy of the book? They did say it was “quirky” on the back cover Jenet :). But you picked up on my main point, it is a lot of nonsense…and it saddens me whenever I fall back into thinking that temporal, earthly things will fully satisfy me…
Tracy, I am praying for you! So glad that God chooses to use our circumstances and our attitudes 🙂 to teach us and remind us how much He loves us!
Coffee is always important and I am convinced that God is going to serve it in heaven… along with all the breads and pastries we deny ourselves!
Btw…your website is beautiful. You are doing an incredible work and I cannot wait to meet you in several weeks!
Thank you for your prayers, my friend! 🙂 Yes, God is showing me alot these days-praise Him! Thank you for stopping by the blog today, and I look forward to meeting you in July-I will bring the muffins and croissants:). May your happiness in the Lord be overflowing today Kelli!
EXCUSE ME…We do NOT say goodbye in Christ…we say “See ya later.” DON’T FORGET!!!!!
You are correct Miss Amanda! Thank you for keeping me TC here on the blog (Theologically correct). You are wise-who is your mentor? {wink}
May your happiness in Christ overflow today 🙂
Happy Travels! I love road trips!! So glad you found a moment to regroup and focus on what makes us all TRULY HAPPY. I had the pleasure of discussing this with my little 10 year old today. Jesus’ love is the only thing that will fill that empty void.
Prayers for you and your family.
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Amen Kelley-I am so glad you got to share with your daughter today.:) Thank you for your prayers and for reminding me of Joshua 1:9-LOVE what it says…this is another verse that needs to be committed to memory!
May your happiness in Christ overflow today 🙂
Oh and antler hat racks DO NOT make me happy. In case you were wondering… :0)
I was wondering…but am greatly relieved my friend :). Remember that I used to be an interior designer…:)
During one of my many moves, a dear friend sent me a note and reminded me that we will all be together one day and have a great big party with Christ as the center! And, we will be there forever more!!!
And, next time go for the chocolate!!!!!
Hi Donna: I have really enjoyed our times together in TX, thank you for mentoring me and for always being a source of encouragement and TRUTH to me. You are right again, that those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, will be together again in Heaven. There are no goodbyes in a spiritual sense.
I can’t remember the name of the worship song we sang this past Sunday, but there was a line of lyrics that talked about how we will all be together again one day in Heaven worshipping the name of Jesus. I teared up for sure! But, I am still sad b/c I am saying goodbye to seeing you physically every week, doing Bible study with you all etc….that sorta thing. And yes, I will try chocolate next time:).
May your happiness in Jesus overflow today. Blessings and thank you for helping me grow in Christ Donna 🙂
Oh’ Tracy!
I finally got a chance to sit down and soak this post up! 🙂 And soak I did… God is showing me very similar things right now too sister. And there is power in the name of JESUS! I think we best be speaking His sweet name out loud as much as possible right now. 😉 I’m praying for you, and can hardly wait for mid July to pray with you! Thank you for sharing with us. ~ Blessings out, Amy
Thank you for your prayers and for your comment Amy! Yes there is power in the name of Jesus! He is THE way, THE truth, and THE LIFE! (John 14:6) Especially since our destination is a 3 days drive w/ two toddlers as passengers…yes, great reminder my friend! (Philippians 4:13)
May your happiness in Him overflow today 🙂