Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Count it all Joy

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials. (James 1:2 )

Joy = Chara (Greek) from Chairos: to rejoice, to take pleasure in.

From our perspective how are we to know what is TRULY to our benefit and what is to our deficit? We are unable to stay neutral in our circumstances - we are unable overcome the intimate proximity of our self to any personal situation - the simple fact that we are the central character in our own narrative demands a personal response to life whenever it comes into conflict with our own personal will and desire. But again, or myopic perspective abuses us of the ability of objective discernment and hence our options are few:

  1. Despite our lack of true perspective,  we rail against the enemy of our will , relying on our inflated value of our personal perspective as the guide to our joy;
  2. Succomb to the will of opposition, believing that our personal perspective is blind to the greater drama in which we live and that the path of opposition if futile and will lead only to the suppression of joy;
  3. Stand in faith that our will, our dreams, our desires, our self has been shaped and molded by the Creator not necessarily so that our will may be fulfilled, but  that through the struggle between the will of self and the will of opposition the self may become even more perfected.
We are not asked to succomb and lay down our will to opposition as mindless slaves; though, neither are we to elevate the will to the level of master or commander of fate. Instead, we are called to take joy in the struggle itself; we are to rejoice that the Father has taken interest in us and our positions and is developing in us perfection. In the end we may rally against or succumb to the oppositions and trials to our will, but it is our heart position that is of utmost importance; it is our heart that is eternal and of value to our Creator; it is the heart that loves God: All things work together for good to those  who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

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