Joy

I'm reading A LOT of books right now, freedom from school books, I suppose, among other reasons. I figure a good way for me to sort of solidify what I'm learning from each of the books is to write about it. So, one of the books I've recently finished was this one. Catchy title, eh...made for a few interesting conversations while I was reading it.

It was really loaded with great insight. Way more than I care to write about on a blog. But for me the overiding theme that kept hitting me in the face was the reminder that the joy God can give through intimacy with Him is unimaginably better than ANYTHING this world offers. Obviously in this particular book the worldly "anything" was lust and what that looks like on a daily basis. But what really grabbed my attention was the understanding that "anything" referred to "everything". My favorite tv shows, a good burger and fries, extra hours of sleep, shopping, a great book, a good movie, time with family and friends...anything and everything that keeps me from spending intimate time with my Father...the One who wants to overflow my cup with unspeakable joy. A lot of the things I listed are good things that God gives me, but when I turn them into being more important than Him they become things that steal the joy God so graciuosly wants to give.

So, I don't know if that was Joshua Harris' goal for writing this book, but it's certainly how God wanted the book to be used in my life. Now I'm working to really show fruit on a daily basis of this refreshed understanding of my relationship with God.