Joy and Freedom
[In the voice of Sophia on Golden Girls] Picture it...Nassau, Bahamas. It's the year 2020. We're in the midst of a global pandemic. I'm sitting at my dining table in front of the laptop with my eyes closed. A breakthrough coach is guiding me through a visualization via Zoom.
The coach tells me to picture a peaceful place. I do. Then she says to imagine that God is there with me. I look around and there He is, just up yonder over there. She asks if I can see God. I don’t want to disturb this sacred moment so I breathe out a quiet “yes.”
Next, she asks me what God is saying to me. I listen, but there are no spoken words. Yet, I understand everything He says. God and I are communicating without words.
Father changes my version of a peaceful scene to His version. My vision was a bright open field with some grass and flowers. He shifts it to a small cozy, well paved, fully covered lane.
Along each side of the lane is a 4 ft tall stone wall that is covered in lush green ivy. Growing out of the top of the wall are beautiful flowering trees. They grow upwards on both sides and then lean over towards each other to form a vibrant, fragrant arch of brightly coloured flowers over our heads.
I am looking around in awe at all of this unimaginable gorgeousness. The sun peaks through small holes between the flowers. It provides just enough light to illuminate the lane, but not so much to feel any uncomfortable heat.
In that moment, I look up at my Father and He looks at me. It feels like my heart will EXPLODE. Father looks at me with so much love. It's as if I am the only person in the world. And with His eyes, He tells me that He delights in me.
At first I think, I'm reading His eyes incorrectly. Surely He can't delight in me right now. I'm just standing here looking goofy and awestruck. But, as I lock gazes with Him, Father confirms that I don't need to do anything to earn His delight. I just need to be.
Wow! My vision is a manifestation of Psalm 16:11.
“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalms 16:11 NASB
n that moment, on that beautiful path that I never could have envisioned for myself, I experienced God's presence. And in His presence, there was Joy and Freedom.
The vision reminded me that on the path that God has set before me, I will enjoy fullness of joy when I tune into His Presence. Further, one of the pleasures in His right hand is the freedom to simply be who He created me to be.
My Friends, both joy and freedom are available when we abide with God. Neither can be taken from us when we know who we are as God's children. In fact, they are ours even in imperfect circumstances. However, we miss out on joy and freedom when we give too much attention to the things that lead to anxiety, fear, and insecurity. Yes, there may be chaos all around us, but that does not minimize the God within us, nor the joy and freedom He gives us.
The best part of resting in God's presence is that because He is faithful, we can trust Him. Therefore, as we adjust to a new normal, we can trust God to gently and wisely guide us.
Friends, we are never alone. God is with us and He is for us. Therefore, no matter what you are facing, may you know the fullness of God's Joy and Freedom.
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NASB
