Dread. It’s an ugly word really. It means to fear greatly.
When we are letting dread fill us, how can we be enjoying the gift Christ gave us of life?
Lucy has plans for tonight. She made them a week ago, and she wasn’t excited about it then. Well, tonight has finally come. She woke up this morning thinking about the task at hand. Before she even gets out of bed she’s telling herself, “This is the last thing I want to do. I can’t believe I have to go.” Before her feet even touch the floor, dread fills her mind.
The rest of her day stays the same. She reads her Bible and spends quiet time with God, but she doesn’t focus on the lesson because she’s thinking about the awful task at hand later. She lets everyone else that comes in her path know what she has to do later, with a “please feel sorry for me” tone in her voice. Her day is consumed with dreaded thoughts of what hasn’t even happened yet.
Do you think she will enjoy the evening event? No, because she has spent the whole day telling herself how horrible it’s going to be.
I am a work in progress here. There are some things I don’t want to do that are necessary. If I’m not careful I can quickly play the dread game. But I am learning that if I do that I am missing an opportunity for God to do something great. He can’t bless us when we’re sucking the joy He has so richly blessed us with, right out.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 6:22
Joy. We already possess it. It’s a gift that God has given us. You can choose today whether or not you are going to use it. Don’t let your feet hit the floor until you do a fruit check.
What are you allowing to steal your joy?