Today’s scripture: 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Ciemone Easter-Rose):
Every once in a while I have a really good day. I mean like a really, REALLY good day. These are the types of days where everything seems to go just right. The universe is somehow bending in my favor at every turn and it feels like absolutely nothing could go wrong. Both anxiety and angst free, I float through these days feeling on top of the world. My confidence is greater. I feel safe and secure. My optimism has no bounds. I feel hopeful and excited. Any burdens or worries that I typically carry around seem to have just been lifted off of my shoulders. The sun appears to be shining even when I’m indoors, and I’m filled with worship songs, calling out praises directly from my heart to God. It’s like I’m having my own private parade that absolutely nobody else can rain on. These days stand out to me because they are so strikingly different from the norm. These aren’t just “okay” or “fine” days–these are my BEST days. But why?
While I don’t bother questioning them in the moment of the experience, once I’ve returned to my “normal” mood (or baseline), I do often ponder what this all means. These moods aren’t the result of any particular event or special occasion. I didn’t do anything differently these days than other days. Yet, it all seems to sometimes just come out of nowhere, for no particular reason, but–also right on time too. And let’s be clear–as a mental health professional, I have considered and can confidently rule out that this isn’t a hypomanic episode of some type. So, in choosing instead to look at this from a spiritual perspective, I’ve concluded at this point that these are just my “Jesus strong” days, and maybe that this “good feeling” may actually be more of a God feeling. I think that there is a lot to be said for taking a day to just surrender to my love for Christ and let that take hold of my life, even just a little bit. So when I have these feelings, I just choose to embrace them without question. Today’s scripture speaks of “an inexpressible and glorious joy” that is experienced in direct relation to this type of connection with Christ. It is on these types of days that I feel like I am personally receiving a giant hug from Jesus, and it is so palpable that it permeates my entire existence. That’s the best explanation I’ve come up with so far. And while I haven’t figured out yet how to sustain those feelings indefinitely, I have found that the more I cultivate my connection with God, the more frequent those days become.
Thought for the day: While we’re working at being intentional at making a connection with God, it is also important to recognize when God may be trying to make a connection with us.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.