Thanks for joining me. Today I’m sharing a topic that’s been on my heart for many months. This seems like the ideal time to finally put the proverbial pen to paper and write it down. I’m talking about the difference between happiness and joy. Too often we use these words interchangeably. However, the Bible shows us that there is a real and important difference between happiness and joy.
Unhappiness Is Easy
There’s a lot to be unhappy about right now. We are living through unusually hard times. Work looks different. School looks different. Relationships look different. Worship, ministry, connection, and routine all look different and unfamiliar right now.
Unhappiness is easy. And happiness is an easy goal to set–but not an easy goal to achieve. It’s so easy to say, “I just want to be happy…” Or, “I’d be happy if…” (I’m very guilty of the latter.) All too often things come up and get in the way of our happiness. Because happiness is tightly tethered to what is happening around us, happiness often rests on things out of our control.
Given the fallen state of our world and an often engrained sense of entitlement, unhappiness and discontentment can be the state we naturally gravitate toward. Unhappiness is something we commiserate over together. It brings us together, it’s common ground where otherwise there might be none.
I’m sure you’ve seen this happen. A group doesn’t know what to talk about, so they pick a safe topic–something everyone despises. Then one person offers up a terrible experience. The next commiserates and adds his own “one up” on the terribleness. And so it goes. On and on and on.
I call this negative camaraderie. It’s a social trap I truly loathe. But an easy trap to fall into nonetheless.
Unpleasant and Unideal Circumstances
I’ve faced a lot of unpleasant circumstances in the last year. Things that caused grief, pain, fear and anxiety kept coming up. (But don’t they always, and isn’t this true for all of us?) Because of this I’ve spent months simmering on the difference between joy and happiness.
As many of you know I spent many years grappling with cyclical depression and anxiety. I finally allowed God to penetrate that stronghold in my life about five years ago. Since then, I’ve seen a miraculous shift in my life. It’s taken a lot of time to heal and practice living in a state of victory over anxiety and depression, but slowly–this has become a new, normal pattern for me.
Over the last year as obstacles and unwelcome news cropped up I keenly noticed a distinct separation between my happiness and joyfulness. And friends, let me assure you–I’m nothing special. If God can draw this line in my heart, He can draw it in yours too.
The Week I Discovered the Difference Between Happiness and Joy
One instance in particular makes this difference so clear.
If you follow along on Instagram (and you totally should, because then we can be even better friends) you might remember that horrific week I spent in Rapid City getting our AirBnB transitioned to a long-term rental. (If you missed it, you can watch the whole saga in my Instagram Highlights.) Alone with an 18 month old, over the course of the week I was met with a mouse infestation, a huge waste leak in the basement, yellow jackets living in the walls, snakes under the deck, issues with the moving van, and a horrible smell that turned out to be poop stuck in a plunger.
Day after day a new, unpleasant circumstance arose. But every day my heart was calm, unshaken, capable, still fully focused on Christ and able to tell of His goodness. I saw humor in the circumstances and understood on a new level exactly what Proverbs 31:25 can mean about “laughing at the future.” No fear of what terrible situation (or smell) the next day would reveal–only the ability to have joy and peace. Because my joy is no longer harnessed to my happiness.
Let me attest. There is a difference between happiness and joy. In today’s unpleasant circumstances it’s more important than ever to claim victory and claim joy.
The Difference Between Happiness and Joy in the Bible
The Bible tells us that joy is a natural product of a life lived in the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Too often, I talk to fellow believers who tell me they are struggling to feel joyful. It’s not happening naturally. Are they doing something wrong in their spiritual walk?
There may be lots of things clogging up our joy tube. For a long time, mine was stuffed with lies. (Read about my journey with lies here.) But part of the problem may have to do with our etymology–they way we understand words.
I think we (we means me, too) too easily interchange the words happy and joy in our thinking and speech. We shouldn’t exchange these words lightly, because there is a difference between the two. Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say.
The Bible has a lot to say about joy. The word “joy” is translated 182 times throughout Scripture. Meanwhile, the word “happy” only shows up 15 times. I believe that Scripture is God-breathed and therefore, each and every word is important and intentional. Since “joy” in used so many times, we can surmise that joy is important to God and He has a lot to tell us about it.
While the Bible doesn’t have a specific verse that explains the difference between happiness and joy, reading the verses where these words appear teaches us to differentiate between the two.
1. The Biggest Difference is Circumstance
The key difference between happiness and joy that I discovered is the circumstances in which each word is used. Happiness is usually used to describe a circumstance, or correlates to an event that has yielded positive results.
Greek and Hebrew words used in Scripture translated into our English “happy” are closely tied to circumstances as well. Their definitions encompass meanings like pleasant, agreeable, prosperous, benefit, blessedness, to make glad, to be glad, pleasing, and fortunate. (You can find out more by using the interlinear on these verses.)
So the LORD God appointed aplant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant.
Jonah 4:6
Joy is God (Spirit) Generated
While happiness is an emotion that can be evoked by good fortune, joy is generated through a much more reliable means: God Himself.
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:7-8
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:22-23
Unlike happiness, which rests on a shifting surface of circumstance, joy rests on God. When we trust God’s promises and hope, we can experience His joy in all circumstances. When joy from God is our goal, we can stand in peace and contentment, even during the days that bring tears to our eyes. If happiness is our goal, our bodies and minds will wear out from pursuing something that doesn’t last.
Joy Is Not Restricted to Pleasant Circumstances
While “joy” can be used in happy, pleasant circumstances, its meaning is richer. Typically, if it has to do with an event, it’s an event recognizably brought about by God.
However, in times of unhappiness, joy is still present. This is especially clear in the letters from Paul. Paul often wrote while enduring hardship, or to groups who were facing hardship themselves. Yet his letters are full of verses regarding joy.
A Christian’s ability to experience joy, even amidst a trial is one of our greatest tools of evangelism and pointing the world to God’s goodness and truth.
Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.
2 Cor 7:4
Joy Has an Overflowing Quality
In the Bible words translated to our English word “joy” have meaning that indicate an overflowing quality: to sound a glad alarm, to sing praise, rejoice, exultation, extreme gladness. The type of inner happiness that can’t be held in.
Scripture is full of verses about “shouting for joy,” “singing for joy,” “making a joyful noise.” While happiness can be soaked up quickly, joy exudes and pours out.
Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.
Psalm 81:1
Claim Joy
There are other differences (and similarities for that matter) between joy and happiness. But this is a start. My point is this, let’s not make happiness our goal. When we hold that goal up to our very big God–who has saved us, redeemed us, defends us and is going to set all things right again–happiness seems like a small goal. God is not going to guarantee our happiness right now.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Instead He assures us that we can overcome unhappiness with our joy and peace intact. He supplies and resupplies joy for us. Isn’t that a better goal, and a bigger miracle, anyway?
Dig in for yourself. Here are the uses of happy in Scripture and here are the uses of joy. What can you learn? How can you be cultivating a heart of joy, instead of a heart longing for happiness?
First, a quick recap. In short, I’m a goal-oriented person who is historically bad at goal setting. I’ve placed by value in the hands of my goals and spent many New Year’s “goal seasons” burnt out, feeling like a failure. Last year I ditched traditional goal-setting to simply focus on grace. Both, God’s grace toward me, and learning to extend more grace toward myself and others.
This year I wanted to explore what the Bible has to say about goals and working toward them. I made a list of “goal-ish” words and studied what Scripture has to say about each one. This was a personal study, but I came away with too many notes and geekery not to share. The words on my list were: Goal, Strive, Ambition, Aim, Intend, and Labor. Today we’ll look at “Ambition”. Next week will be our last post in the series.
Ambition
I love it when my Bible geeking surprises me. When I looked into the word ambition I was surprised by what I found. The Bible makes it clear what a godly goal looks like, that we should be moving forward in faith, growing to maturity in Christ and setting Christ centered goals. However, when I looked at what the Bible says about ambition I found more warning than offensive instruction.
The heart of this series is meant to help us (me) align our goals more closely with God’s heart. The old cliche is very true, life IS short. Our days on this side of eternity are a gift–we need to steward them well. I don’t know about you, but I want to spend my days working at things that matter. I’ve spend too many Januaries setting goals that worked me to the bone, but didn’t matter at all. Let’s leave that pattern for good.
A good first step is examining ambition, both what the dictionary and the Bible says about ambition.
The English definition of “ambition.”
am·bi·tion | amˈbiSH(ə)n
an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment
a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.
desire and determination to achieve success.
Ambition is Heart Oriented
Can you see that ambition is a little more heart-oriented than a goal? A goal/aim is passive. It’s an object. An ambition is desire. Ambition is personal, often dependent on our own labor.
In every translation of Scripture, “ambition” is usually used in tandem with “selfish.” As in, “selfish ambition.” (Some translations do use the word “ambition” in place of goal, ie 1 Thes 4:1q and Rom 15:20–both discussed in this post.)
Because I truly do believe that Scripture is God-breathed, I believe all the words in the Bible are placed with meaning.
So why does the Bible typically speak of ambition in terms of selfishness? Let’s see what we can learn.
What the Bible Says About Ambition
The word most commonly translated into occurrences of the English word “ambition” is actually a Greek word denoting selfish-ambition.
eritheia: a desire to put one’s self forward; self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means
Eritheia has a political background. Outside of the Bible it was used to describe unfair power grabs and seeking to place oneself in a high-ranking position. Keep this and the definition in mind as you read the following verses that use eritheia in them.
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition (eritheia), slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition (eritheia) or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
I don’t want you to walk away from this post discouraged, or thinking that ambition is negative. Ambition is not negative. Remember, there are verses that translate “philotimeomai” (to strive, goal, aspire) into “ambition.”
Instead, as we examine our goals–the things we are striving toward and setting our eyes upon–we must intentionally ward off eritheia, selfish ambition. What do can learn about selfish ambition from the verses above? Here is my list from my study notes. By all means, this is not everything we can learn from these passages, nor are these the only right answers. (And remember to read the verses in context.)
Paul had godly goals for the church in Corinth–selfish ambition is among the things that could derail those goals. (See examples of godly goals here and here.) (2 Cor 12:20)
Selfish ambition is companion to other undesirable/selfish qualities. (2 Cor 12:20)
We should not pursue our godly goals from a heart posture of selfish ambition. (Phil 2:3)
Humility and genuine interest/care/concern for others is the opposite and antidote of selfish ambition. (Phil 2:3)
Selfish ambition breeds disorder and other bad, hurtful practices. (Jas 3:16)
Guarding Against Selfish Ambition
As we seek to create godly goals, we must guard against selfish ambition. As we’ve learned so far in this series, godly goals are not self seeking. They are peace-driven, church-edifying, God-glorifying. If our goals are truly aligned with God’s heart and what His Word tells us to strive for, we will not operate out of selfish ambition.
It’s also important to remember the character of God when considering our goals. God is all-knowing, all-powerful. He knows us fully and loves us fully. God’s primary concern is not our accomplishments, it’s our heart. (1 Sam 16:7) The God of the Bible will never berate you for not being enough.
Here is the truth. You are perfectly enough when you take your not-enoughness and let Christ complete you with His grace.
Friends, the amount of water you drink, money you make, miles you log at the gym–they are all inconsequential when compared to your heart posture. If your heart is out of alignment, you can do all the things, loose the weight, get the job, etc, etc, etc and still feel like it’s not enough. If your ambition is selfish, there will always be a gnawing emptiness in your belly.
God sees and cares about our heart.
One of my favorite verses is Psalm 37:4.
“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Can you see that this is a self-fulfilling prophecy? When the Lord is our delight our heart’s deepest ambitions/desires will be met. If our goals are godly and in line with what the Bible tells us is worth setting our eyes on and striving toward, He will be our desire. And God never withholds Himself from those who seek Him.
Your Challenge
Your challenge this week is to prayerfully assess your goals. Check back in. What are you working toward? How are you striving? Why are those the things you’ve chosen to focus on? What is your heart posture? What is your motive? If you uncover selfish ambition (I’ve uncovered more than my fair share in my own heart), ask God to help you realign that goal with His heart.
Next week we’ll wrap up the series by looking at “labor.” Thanks for stopping in. Join me on Facebook or Instagram for more fun. I’d love to get to know you!
This post is part of a series on godly goals. Together we’ll be exploring what the Bible has to say about goals and the things we work toward. Here are other posts in this series:
Last week I told you a bit about my struggles with goal setting. In the past I’ve been guilty of setting the wrong kind of goals and putting too much stock in my goals to uphold and define my identity. Today, we’ll continue our discussion on setting godly goals. I spent a lot of time searching and discovering what the Bible has to say about setting godly goals. Now, I’m excited to start sharing what I found.
In true Bible geek fashion, I spent a full week pouring over texts to discover all I could about setting godly goals. I started with a quickly brainstormed list of “goaly” words–goal, strive, aim, ambition, intend and labor. At the conclusion, I was left with lots of insight, better goals, peace in my heart and a lengthy outline of Hebrew and Greek words along with their various uses.
Exploring Godly Goals as a Series
I didn’t set out to publish what I learned. However, the things I found are things I wish I would have known years ago. If you have ever felt burned out, burdened or devalued because you can’t live up to the goals you set for yourself–this series is for you. First, be sure to put goals in their proper place (see part I), then step into the peace-making, joy-breeding space of godly goals.
First, be sure to put goals in their proper place (see part I), then step into the peace-making, joy-breeding space of godly goals.
To be totally honest with you (something you can always count on me to do), once I decided to write a series on goals, I intended to share all my findings in one long post. But after writing and rewriting several times it was clear we are meant to take this one slow. I’ll be sharing what I learned about each word that I studied over the coming weeks. Today, we’ll look at what I discovered about the word “Goal.”
At first, I was apprehensive about splitting this into a longer series. There is so much pressure to assess and create goals at the beginning of the year–cementing them in place by January 30. Then we turn on auto pilot. We pursue the goals we set for ourselves or let them go to the wayside. It can seem that our only two options are to achieve what we desired on January 1st, or beat ourselves up for being a failure. (Those are the options I’ve yo-yo-ed between in the past.)
Commit to Realigning Your Goals Regularly
Any life coach or “goal expert” (of which I am not) will tell you that a goal is more likely to be reached if you continue to revisit it. Friends, godly goals are worth pursuing. They are worthy of cultivation.
Let’s start this year by making our goals, but continue over the next weeks to reassess. Join me in discovering more about the kind of goals God has for you. Week by week examine the things you are striving for and use what we’ll learn together to realign them fully with our wonderful God.
What is a Goal?
Before we start, let’s grab a definition for the word “goal” to make sure we are all on the same page.
Running a quick Google search on “goal setting” will yield lots of tips. Most of these are on creating an action plan that will move you from where you are at this very moment to the desired “end toward which your effort is directed.”
In last week’s post I told you that I’ve spent many years setting the wrong kind of goals and that my goals lacked grace. On top of that, I bound my ability to complete goals to my identity and self-worth. Last January I took a new, more graceful approach to goal-setting. At year’s end for the first time in many years I was at peace, even joyful. Content with where I’d been and ready to step forward.
This year, I want to keep my goal-setting on this healthy trajectory. I want to understand what Scripture says about goals. In my study I discovered two Greek words that are used in Scripture for the English word “goal” as we typically use it. Philotimeomai and skopos. Let’s look at verses that use these words and apply them to our goal setting.
Skopos: the distant mark looked at, the goal or end one has in view
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal (skopos) to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,and to make it your ambition (philotimeomai) to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Now that we’ve seen how these words are used, it’s time to apply them. Remember, we want to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. (James 1:22-25) Let’s take a look at what we can learn about goals by examining these verses. (I’ve quoted singular verses here, but remember to always read the Bible within its intended context.)
Here are application examples straight from my notebook. This is not an exhaustive list. How can you apply skopos and philotimeomai to your goal setting?
Godly goals look forward and do not dwell on the past. (Phil 3:14)
Aiming to live a quiet (literally peaceful, intentional–not running “hither and tither”) life is a godly goal. (1 Thess 4:11)
Working toward a quiet life, doesn’t mean an unproductive life. Paul tells his readers to be productive, by working with their hands. (1 Thess 4:11)
The godly goal of a quiet (again, literally peaceful, intentional) life will yield respect and independence. (1 Thess 4:12)
Spreading the Gospel is a godly goal. (Rom 15:20)
Thanks for being here and learning with me. Take some time this week to pray about godly goals. I’ll be back next week to discuss the word “strive.” Together we’ll discover what the Bible has to say about working toward a goal–how to strive and what is worthy of striving toward.
As we come into the New Year, I know lots of us are thinking about goal setting. Some may already be frustrated by goals that already don’t seem to be panning out. Today, I’m talking about Christian goal setting. I’m sharing what I’ve learned from years of setting the wrong kinds of goals and how I recovered from the hurt of unmet goals and failures.
This post is the first in a series. Here are others you might like:
You know I am committed to being transparent and authentic here. So I won’t sugar coat this next confession: I am a bad goal setter. I know how to set goals. In my mind I have plenty of head-knowledge about setting appropriate goals and taking the right steps to work toward them. I’ve written about goals and offered council to others about goals.
But at the end of the day, I rarely take my own advice. Thus, I–Amy Allender–am a very bad goal setter.
I set the wrong goals for myself. My approach to the goals is wrought with missteps. Then at the end of the calendar year, when it’s time for assessment, I feel defeated, deflated, devalued and plenty of other “de” words. I have spent many years looking back in reflection and the thought that overshadows all the sweet memories and accomplishments is that “I’ve failed.”
All along I thought I was pursuing Christian goal setting, because I was a Christian…setting goals. But I was mistaken.
There have been many New Year’s seasons in which I’ve dreamed up what I wished and hoped the next New Year would look like–only to be disappointed when the ideal in my mind doesn’t match the reality. This isn’t always my fault. Many things get in the way: moves, jobs, unexpected loss, new opportunities, separation, stress, illness, etc. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve spent many a January feeling another year older, believing I’ve failed because the December 31 me didn’t look the way the January 1 me had envisioned.
Giving Goals Too Much Impact
Last year I pretty much ditched resolutions and New Year goal setting all together. Instead, I focused only on grace. Something that had been missing from my New Year assessment for many years. I spent January trying out a few new patterns and habits–like a test-drive month. I kept a few, I threw the rest aside. And I committed to being graceful to myself as my ideals, goals and ideas shifted, changed, were completed or abandoned.
What I learned is that without trying or being conscious of it, I was allowing my goals (met or unmet) to impact the amount of value I perceived myself to have. My goals didn’t have all the power–but they had some. The truth is, our goals (met or unmet) have nothing to do with our value. Every person is made in God’s image and therefore is invaluable. Only God can supply a safe and sturdy surface for my identity and value to lay upon. Anything else is too fragile and too prone to sink holes.
Exploring Godly Goals
I’ve learned that true Christian goal setting (setting godly goals) looks much different that simply setting secular goals.
After spending all of 2019 focusing on being graceful toward myself when it comes to goals and “success,” I ended the year joyful and content.
This year I want to keep moving in this positive trajectory. After a year off of traditional goal setting I started to wonder what God has to say about goals. How did key Biblical figures work toward goals? Did they have goals? What kind of goals should I be setting? Should I set goals at all?
In short, “What does Christian goal setting look like?”
I’ve spent the beginning of the new year looking deeply into what the Bible has to say about Christian goal setting and godly goals. In true Bible-geek form, I could barely put my Bible down when it was time to stop. I made notes, cross referenced, dug through the concordance and hit the thesaurus. I discovered that the Bible has a lot to say about goals. I’ll be sharing all my findings on that next week in a follow up post.
Christian Goal Setting: Put Goals in Their Proper Place
Before we can appreciate what Scripture says about godly goal setting, we need to put goals into their proper place.
Remember how I told you I used to struggle with feeling like an old failure on December 31? For me, that was a sure sign that I was giving goals more stock in my identity and value than they deserved. Before you set goals or intentions, make sure these truths truly manifest in your heart.
Goals are works.
Goals are works. Our works can accompany our faith. They can be an outward sign of our faith, but works are a separate entity from Salvation or justification before God. Christ saves us from the true death we all deserve. Christ alone justifies us as worthy and right before God. (There are many verses pertaining to this–below is just one example.)
…know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
Every single person who has ever been born or ever will be born is made in God’s image. “Made in God’s image” is part of our identity. Our intention should not be to look like Sally-who-lives-next-door (another mortal also made in God’s image)–but to look more like Christ, our Savior.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
If you understand that misdeeds and imperfection separate you from the one and only, perfect God of all the universe and creation–and believe that Jesus (God’s son, fully man yet fully God) bridged that gap by atoning for those misdeeds to fully reconcile you back to God–you are “saved.” Saved from true death. Saved from a life lived apart from the God who made you. You are seen as fully right before God, fully adopted as His child. Just as earthly parents love their children (adopted or biological) God loves His children.
As adopted children, God gives us an identity. He offers us a name, a place to belong, a purpose, and an inheritance.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
God knows us. There is nothing we can hide from Him. He created us and understands us in intimate ways we will never fully understand. God’s ideal for our lives is that we look more like him and less like the world. Scripture warns against working in selfish ambition. Godly goals will never be self serving. Before you set new goals, pray to align your heart with God. Ask Him to reveal any selfish motives behind your intentions.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Next week I’ll be back with part II of this discussion, fully ready to show you all that I’ve learned about Christian goal setting and godly goals. Some of it just might surprise you. Until then, I’d love if you joined me over on Instagram. Thanks for being here!
Want more on godly goals? Check out the rest of the series!
(Don’t mind us…one of many outtakes in which Gideon was more interested in eating fruit snacks than taking photos.)
Today we’re talking Christmas cards. Specifically unique Bible verses for Christmas cards. If you’re stumped, or tired of sharing something classic, you’ve come to the right place.
I love Christmas cards. Every year we have fun coming up with a card idea. Most years I go overboard and create a Christmas card set, because nothing says the holidays like a perfectly staged photo. Am I right? I write a note along with every card we send–I think it’s fun to personalize the cards instead of just sending off a pretty picture of ourselves. But my favorite part is picking out a unique Bible verse for our Christmas card design.
A Christmas card is a special opportunity to place the Word of God into the hands and homes of family, friends and acquaintances. Quoting Scripture face to face with someone you barely know may be weird. However, sending a Christmas card to someone you barely know isn’t weird at all.
Christmas Cards That Point to Jesus
When sending a card out, I want to make it clear that we are celebrating more than just warm-cozy vibes. To our house, Christmas means God has come! It’s a monumental piece of the puzzle God is assembling to reconcile humanity to Himself.
Not everyone on our mailing list believes this. For those that don’t, I want our card to have a verse that reveals the truth of Christmas in a way that is easy to understand. I pray God will plant a seed there.
For other believers that receive our card, I pray that they will be encouraged and reminded of God’s greatness.
I believe Christmas cards sent out each year by believers can have a deeper meaning than sharing a cute photo. By choosing a unique Bible verse for Christmas cards, you shed some light on why Christmas is so important, what Christmas’s impact was. Why Christ came at all.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the classic “Christmas verses.” “For unto us a child is born…” “He will be called wonderful counselor, the prince of peace…” “Unto you a Savior is born…” These are music to my ears. But if you want to think outside the box I’ve got you covered. Here are seven unique Bible verses for Christmas cards. They are arranged in the order you can find them in Scripture.
(Another outtake. The timer ticked away and Gideon refused to take part.)
A Giver of Good Gifts
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 1For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
The Son [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
God has shown us his love by sending his only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. 10 This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins.
We have seen and testify to the fact that the Father sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 1God lives in those who declare that Jesus is the Son of God, and they live in God.
I hope these seven unique Bible verses for Christmas cards get your wheels spinning. The whole Bible points to Jesus, so there are lots and lots of unique outside-the-box verses to choose from. Have you shared an untraditional verse on your card before? I’d love to hear from you!
Today, I’ve got a follow up to yesterday’s post about how dispelling lies has helped me reclaim my life and walk out of a long-term struggle against depression and anxiety. In addition to identifying lies and taking the time to properly address them, I’ve also learned that sometimes it takes a hard season to find them at all.
Before we get to that, I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who comes to do life together. Who reads and shares and takes a moment to tell me when something hits home for you. I am humbled, and affirmed by the reaction I got to yesterday’s post about lies. Sometimes I get nervous about posting something vulnerable–something that can make me look like a goon. Admitting to anyone on the Internet who cares to click a link that I’ve struggled with lies was intimidating for me.
So, thanks for being cool. Now back to the topic at hand.
Drafts and Lies
Let’s go back to the analogy I drew yesterday, between cold drafts coming into my house and lies coming into my life. (If you missed it, you can read it here.)
I gave a nice list of how lies are sneaky like cold air drafts that were finding lots of ways into my home. The affects of the cold air stretched much farther than my heating bill. The furnace worked overtime, to no avail–the rooms were still cold. I couldn’t sleep at night, which left me tired and cranky during the day, which in turn took its toll on my patience with Gideon.
Lies are the same. Their affects reach far beyond just the singular truth they’ve obscured. Lies can become devastating.
The Cold Snap
I was so glad when the draft problem was noticeably better. I was happy to have found the sources of cold air coming in, and happy to have a solution.
Even more than that, I was happy it happened when it did. I was grateful for the early October cold snap that made my problem clear. It was a perfect trial-run of how Acorn House will truly perform through the winter. The draft problem was revealed during a short stretch of 20˚ days.If it had happened when the windchill was -40˚, that would have been much, much worse.
Before I go any farther, please know that I’m not here to explain why bad things happen. I’m not opening a discussion on why bad things happen to “good” people. I’m not even going to say that “everything happens for a reason.”
The truth is, bad things happen. Hard circumstances face fun, loving, kind, good-hearted people all the time. Many of the hardest circumstances I’ve faced have come into my life unannounced, with little warning, and at no fault of my own. I had no control over their timing or the scope of pain they’d leave in their wake.
I can’t tell you why these things happen and I won’t offer you a solution. But I can assure you that God–the God of the Bible–is working to set all things right (see Ps 103:10-18). I can assure you that God is kind. He is almighty and able to redeem any circumstance. He is able to create beauty and life from dirt and death. Remember, He made man out of dirt in the garden. Also, Jesus’ gruesome death on the cross opened a sweet, full-access path to God, gives us eternal life and the Holy Spirit.
Those in Christ can always trust that God can and will create something worthwhile out of any ugliness we hand over to Him.
My Lie Problem
Which brings me back to lies.
When I realized I had a “lie problem” in my life I was in the midst of a mental crisis. I can’t pinpoint the exact cause. A surgery that didn’t go as planned; Chronic pain; Spiritual warfare; A major life change. These and other unwelcome circumstances added up to a depression and anxiety storm like I’ve never seen before in my life.
In counseling I realized that lies were major contributors to the poor state of my mental health. As I untangled the lies from the truth I found healing that I didn’t know was possible. I left the cycle of anxiety and low-self-worth that had plagued me for years.
Now, looking back I can see that I may never have gotten to the root of my problems, had it not been for the terrible circumstances in that season. When I turned that awful season over to God, He propelled me into a new phase of life. And it’s far better than the “good life” I had before.
Drafts Aren’t A Problem In Summer
Just like it takes a cold snap to find drafts, it may take a hard season to find lies that have been sneaking into your mind. You know when the drafts in my house didn’t bother me at all? Summer. When the days were 70˚ and sunny I didn’t notice extra air coming in at all. You know when the lies didn’t bother me so much? When everything was stable and good.
When things got rocky it was obvious there was a problem. Metaphorically, my foundation was fine, but my structure had air leaks that were causing my home to be miserable. My Salvation was secure, but the lies had come in and I was not living the abundant, joy-filled life Jesus wanted to give me.
We cannot control the circumstances that come into our sphere. But we can control our thoughts. We can be intentional about turning our eyes to the Redeemer of all things, allowing Him to create something positive out of a mess. We can be intentional about what we allow to manifest in our mind and hearts.
Hard times are…hard. But our God never leaves us alone, and He truly is working for the good of those who love Him.
Do you know anything about drafts? Not military drafts, or drafts of a paper. I’m talking the icy cold drafts that sneak into your home through even the tiniest gap. I do. I know more than I’d care to. Stopping drafts was my first major project here at Acorn House. In the midst of stopping up all those drafts, God started speaking to me about lies. In my heart I could feel Him reminding me of how sneaky, joy-sapping and detrimental lies are, and reminding me of how dispelling lies helped me reclaim my life. So today, I’m going to tell you a little about my journey with lies and drafts.
The first truly cold night in Acorn House was awful. In my room, under all the blankets I had in the house I was a block of ice. My face was cold. My nose was running. Yes, running like I was outside. In the hall, I could feel a cold breeze blowing from Gideon’s room. We barely slept that night. The next day I was miserable, but determined to find the source of the drafts and fix the issue.
The problem with drafts is this: they are invisible and unnoticeable until things get uncomfortable.
In our bedrooms I discovered that the windows hadn’t been insulated. Large gaps behind the trim was letting cold air pour in. A breeze was coming in from a gap behind the baseboard. A floor vent cover wasn’t actually covering a vent–just a hole to the icy basement, letting cold air up into the room. Then I found that the dryer vent had no cover on it. There was just an open tube letting cold air into my room.
When I saw the scope of the problem, I was overwhelmed.
The drafts were making us miserable. But there were so many to find and fix–I didn’t know how I’d ever get it all done.
For big drafts I used my hand to feel for air flow. For the sneakier wisps of air coming in, I used a lighter as a guide. I ran the flame along windows, doors and baseboards. The flame would flicker (or in some cases blow out) when I reached the source of a draft. I filled small gaps with caulk. Big gaps needed to be filled with foam gap filler–the kind that expands to fill the gap and kind of looks like yellow ice cream.
One by one I sealed the gaps. The house stayed warmer. It became livable. The problem isn’t totally fixed, it’s an ongoing process.
But I told you I was going to talk about lies. So let me get to the point.
Somewhere in the middle of my third can of gap-filler God laid some thoughts about lies on my heart. I don’t consider myself particularly gullible, but I’ve believed a lot of lies in my life. Big, important lies. The kind that wreak havoc on your mind, heart and spirit.
Whenever I talk to someone about my experience walking through depression and anxiety, I point to identifying and dispelling lies as the thing that brought me the most healing. In fact, I’d say dispelling lies that I had believed saved my life. Lies were the root of my problem. I needed to take measures to seal up my life against the lies I had believed.
In fact, lies are the root of a lot of problems.
Satan is called the “father of lies.” He is a liar and deceiver. The first sin he ever enticed anyone into was telling a lie.
Lies will make our lives uncomfortable.
Maybe not at first. But eventually, our lives will be uncomfortable (maybe even unlivable) as result of the lies we believe.
Lies are often invisible.
We may feel something is wrong. We might be able to sense it. But like drafts, lies are invisible. We cannot simply detect them with our eyes. They come into our minds, hearts and home in the sneakiest ways. Some are obvious (gaps around windows and doors.) Some are harder to see (remember, in some cases I needed to remove window trim and baseboards to find the source of a draft to fix.)
Big, glaring lies are easy to feel while small, tricky tweaks-of-the-truth may need a guide to find their source.
Lies can be overwhelming.
In our fallen world lies are all around us. The more lies we believe, the more confused we get…making us susceptible to believing even more lies. Just like the drafts blowing into my house, sometimes it seems like the air around me is saturated with lies.
Once I began uncovering lies in my own life I became overwhelmed by the amount of lies surrounding me, vying for my belief and attention. Lies, like drafts, can be addressed. Find them and eliminate them one at a time.
Lies can be identified
I love the image of using a lighter to detect a draft. So often the Bible talks about light–the antithesis of the darkness.
Just as a lighter can be used to find the source of a draft, the lights God gives us can help us find lies in our own lives.
Jesus is the Light of the World–anyone in Him will not remain in darkness. John 12:46 (His Truth will dispel lies and darkness. Come to Him and ask Him to reveal the lies that wreaking havoc in your life.)
God’s Word is a lamp for our path, Psalm 119:105. (In biblical times a lamp would have had an open flame. God’s truth is a perfect way to detect the source of lies. Hold the lamp of His Word up to your path, this flame will never extinguish, but lies may try to blow it out.)
Believers are the light, Matthew 5:14-16. (A trusted mentor of friend in the body of Christ can help identify lies and replace them with Truth.)
Lies can be dispelled.
Lies hold no power of their own. Their power lies (no pun intended) in the power we perceive them to have. Once we identify a lie and name it as a lie–its power starts to wane. But the true problem isn’t solved yet. Identifying the source of a draft didn’t make my house any warmer.
A draft needs to be filled or fixed, a lie must be replaced by the truth. If a the void left behind from an identified lie isn’t filled with truth, another lie can easily take its place.
The truth may take a while to believe.
Like I told you, I’ve believed a lot of lies. And I’d love to say that I quickly identified them, found God’s Truth, replaced the lie and lived happily ever after.
Sometimes it really is that easy.
But the lies that do the most damage are often hidden, well engrained, and require some time. These lies are like the big gaps behind my baseboards. First I had to do a little deconstructing to identify them. Next I used gap-filler. Then I had to wait for the filler to expand. In some cases I needed to go back over it a second time. With diligence, eventually the cold air stopped coming in.
Sometimes we need to hear the truth over and over before we believe it. When we feel the lie coming back in, we need to restate the truth, to add another layer.
I got annoyed, when I was in counseling for not changing fast enough. For continuing to fall into the same lies over and over. My counselor assured me things would change. Those thought patterns, believing those lies–that was my normal, natural way of thinking. If we consciously, intentionally speak truth over lies we’ve identified, the Truth will become our new normal, natural thought pattern. Just like the draft problem at the House, fighting lies is (and will be) an ongoing battle.
I don’t know if this is resonating with anyone. I hope so. If you are struggling–please know that you aren’t alone. I’ve been there. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have a few lies they needed to dispel. You can do it. Don’t be hard on yourself, but do be intentional. Do be diligent. The lies that are causing your life to be cold, uncomfortable and unenjoyable can be replaced with truth. If I can do it, anyone can.
(PS– When I was unearthing lies in my life, this book was given to me by a friend. I cannot recommend it highly enough!)
Last night Derek and I were talking on the phone. Because that’s what we do now. That, and FaceTime. But usually our FaceTime calls are a little distracting because someone (with adorable, chubby fingers) thinks he needs to hold the phone the whole time…then it turns into a balancing act of actually seeing each other and keeping a technology tantrum at bay.
As usual, I’m getting off track.
Anyway, we were on the phone discussing one of the most pressing matters with our transition. What to do with the Canyon Lake Cottage. We have a great peace about keeping it (not selling.) Now we need renters. We’ve gone back and forth about keeping it as a short term/vacation rental and looking for a long term renter.
There are pros and cons to both sides. A long term renter would take care of the utilities and bills. However, a long term renter can be really hard on a property and we’ve heard some scary stories.
A short term rental set up means less wear on the property, but more management. More logistics. And maybe craziest of all…it means we need to have a “furnished” house in Rapid City and Minot.
At the beginning of this whole process I thought for sure I’d be going mad without all my “things” by this point. A couple years ago (even one year ago) that probably would have been the case. But I’ve seen God changing me in ways that I never thought possible. Attachments, burdens and struggles that I thought would forever be a thorn in my flesh have slowly and gently been extracted.
I can’t peg what exactly is responsible for this shift, but I think a big part of it stems from a word that God planted in my heart several years ago. Intentionality. Again, I’m not sure what exactly brought it on, but in the fall of 2016 the word “intentionality” kept coming to mind. Since then it’s become a bit of an anthem for me.
Most of you know I have struggled to overcome and manage crippling anxiety and depression. The greatest strides for me came when I became intentional about my mental health. Intentionality when it came to what I said “yes” to and what I said “no” to. This helped guard me from being spread too thin (something that easily triggers a bit of panic for me.) Intentionality in seeking care and asking for help. Intentionality in the way I think.
That intentionality spread to other aspects of my life. I could feel the Holy Spirit encouraging me to be intentional in the Word and prayer. To be intentional in my marriage, and intentional in the ways I wield my giftings.
Intentional about who I am trying to impress.
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
This has not been a perfect practice. There are lots of days that I don’t get it right at all. There have been many times I’ve wished I could be more intentional about more things. But I’ve never once felt the sting of reprimand from the Lord. He sees the heart, He knows I’m trying. Like I said, this really started to resonate in 2016. I’m finally truly starting to see the fruit of this slow, slow change.
So back to our move. When the jumble of information and logistics started to rain down in the spring my natural reaction was fear. Followed by flitting thoughts about how we could make things quick and seamless. I wanted to find a way to keep things as “normal” and “the same” for our family as possible.
Quickly, it became obvious this transition would be different. Again I heard the Spirit whisper, “intentionality” in my ear. With His urging and leading I began to reframe my thoughts.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Fear of leaving and being without all the comforts of my home became something new and redeemed.:
“In the past, I have been closest to God and gotten to know Him most through times of hard transition.”
“Before when things have been hard and unstable, I find it easiest to lean on the Rock of my Salvation.”
“Even though having very little, and living out of a suitcase for a very long time will be hard (and quite honestly will be very crummy at times) hopefully this season will break some of my long-held attachment to things that God never intended to capture my heart.”
In the narrative of our lives, God is never the villain. He is the redeemer. He is the creative author who can take any plot and twist it into something surprisingly lovely for the characters. Can can redeem our circumstances, and even more miraculous, he can redeem our thinking.
Let me get back to where I started. Last night Derek and I were discussing our options.
“Well, if we find a long term renter we’ll need everything moved out of the Rapid house by the end of September.”
“But our house in Minot will be under construction. Where will we put it all?”
“Probably the basement.”
“What if we left furniture in Rapid City and kept running it as a vacation house?”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking about the holidays. How long do we really want to live like gypsies?”
“I don’t know what the best solution is. Maybe leave it as a short term rental until after Christmas? That will give us time to get some renovation started and by then we’ll all be living in the same place, in a house of our own.”
“How do you feel about not having our things for that long?”
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
And that’s when it hit me that God has been up to something. I was honestly okay with it. Now, I’m not saying that’s our final solution. I have no idea how this is all going to shake out. But I wasn’t yearning for the things that I own. For a girl who craves “home” that’s a really big deal.
All in all, this is my long, drawn out way of trying to offer you encouragement. What are you facing right now that seems impossible? What thinking do you wish you could shed? Turn on its head? Redeem? Becoming intentional (more purposeful) is a process. And it’s not a process that falls on our shoulders to bear. It’s a process led by the Holy Spirit–we simply need to bring an earnest heart and a teachable spirit to the table.
You’ll be hearing more about the soap opera that is our transition in the days, weeks, and months to come. But for now, be encouraged.
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