Surrendering Our Joy Stealers and Knowing We Belong

Friend, what is threatening to steal your joy today? Do you struggle with finding your place? What about when you feel left out, passed over, or uninvited? Our minds can really do a number on us. So many things threaten to steal our joy, so let's talk about this issue today. I can relate to feelings of not belonging and feelings of being left out. But you know what? Truth be told, I’ve done that to others too. Yup, (gulp) guilty as charged. I remember it well—my first-grade birthday party. I invited my entire class with a personal invitation, or so I thought. Somehow I forgot to invite someone. Donna. She was the sweetest girl–quiet and polite. I simply forgot to invite her, and I didn’t even realize it until the Monday morning after. Back at school and still feeling awesome coming off of a birthday weekend of fun and friends, I walked into the classroom, and there sat Donna. My heart sank. I was sure she had heard about the party. I don’t remember if I even said anything to her. I hope I did. I hope I said sorry I didn’t invite you, Donna—I didn’t mean to leave you out. We have all been left out, forgotten, or just plain passed over at some time in our lives. It doesn’t feel all warm and fuzzy, does it?  For some reason, we choose to hang on to those kinds of memories while some of the best ones get buried in the recesses of our minds. Why do we do that? It seems in our humanness, negativity shouts louder than positivity; bad memories overshadow so many good ones. But we need to change that mess and renew our minds with God’s truth. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 When we renew our minds, we can ask the Lord to remind us of all of our wonderful blessings—memories that have gone missing for so long. They are in there somewhere. Every experience has been recorded in our complex and intricate minds … “It is incredibly important to realize that, even though we cannot control our circumstances, we can control our reactions to our circumstances—we are not just victims of our biology or our pasts. I have researched and experienced the evidence of the mind-brain connection, and recognize the need to help people realize that we all have incredibly powerful minds, minds that can cope and prosper as we learn to operate in God’s magnificent love.”  – Dr. Caroline Leaf, cognitive neuroscientist  There is so much we are still learning about the capacity and possibilities that await us when we power on our brains. Our minds are always processing the stimuli we’re exposed to, but we need to keep our thoughts in check. When we find ourselves dwelling on thoughts of being uninvited, excluded, and left out, we can take heart that we belong to something bigger–bigger than my first-grade birthday party and bigger than ourselves. Aren’t you glad? We belong to God, and we are included in His grand plan. Jesus provided a personalized invitation like no other. He invites us to personally connect with Him, and it’s time to tell others they’re invited, too. How do we do this? I drove passed Indian River Fruit and Gifts last week. A landmark in our community for as long as I can remember, it now sits run-down and abandoned. Over the years, when I’d drive by, my eyes feasted on displays of edible goodness piled high in baskets and bins out front. Vibrant colors of fresher than store-bought fruits, nuts, specialized gifts, and souvenirs. Abundant offerings from an abundant harvest. Now all that remains is an empty shell–the vibrant colors gone. It’s a reminder of what we can become if we hold back our abundant offerings and gifts. Our God-given gifts, talents, and abilities have been entrusted to us by God. When we allow insecurity to keep us from using them, it will choke our calling, and our gift offerings will remain hidden–aband...