Lost and Finding Joy

Any time I’m feeling drained, insecure or inadequate, I immediately go back in my shell. Some of you know what I mean when I say, going back in my shell, especially if you know me. You may have a shell too. It’s a safe place you go within yourself where you don’t want to talk or interact much with others. You won’t be able to reach me when I’m in my shell. I won’t answer the phone. I won’t make plans, or I’ll cancel plans I’ve already made. Our shells can be a good place when we go there to rest or reset, but If we stay there too long it’s not a good thing. We weren’t created to live in our shells.

What makes us feel drained, insecure or inadequate? It could be a lot of things. We could be exhausted from overworking. We may be going through a significant loss or change in our lives. It may be other people trying to pull us down.

If it’s being overworked, that’s a simple one. We just go back in our shells, catch our breath, and come back out again.

If its a significant loss or change we are going through, that could be more complicated. It helps knowing that this life is temporary and that everything we go through is just a part of our story, but it’s not our whole story. The parts of life we may not enjoy are the very parts we can grow from or through.

If it’s other people… Why do we listen to other people? If they say we aren’t worthy, does that make us unworthy? If they call us a failure, does that make us a failure? Of course not. It’s good to do a self-check, to be sure we are in alignment with who we were created to be, do, and even have; but, not being perfect isn’t meant to discourage us. It’s part of the process of who we are becoming. The ones judging you, well…they aren’t perfect either. They may be projecting their inadequacies on you. They may feel superior in certain areas, but the fact that they are judging you, (not realizing that we are all works in progress), shows that they are not perfect either. They are also works in progress.

⁷ So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (John 8:7)

⁵ Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:5)

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Let them persecute and judge. It may be someone very close to you. It may be in the disguise of somebody taking offense to something you said, or did, or didn’t do. It could be a family member or friend that is causing you to want to hide in your shell. Your worth has nothing to do with them. Your worth has everything to do with the One who created you. You are the son or daughter of God.

We must have courage and faith to stand firm when things we don’t prefer show up in our lives. Our joy comes from cultivating friendships, loving our neighbors, and doing unto others as we would have others do unto us. Our joy comes from putting God and His Kingdom first — even above our own insecurities or inadequacies. Our joy comes from serving our fellow man.

Our shells may be a good place to go to catch our breath; to refill our cups; to re-energize; and to reconnect with God (Be still and KNOW); but we shouldn’t stay in there by ourselves for too long.

Since we are still breathing, there are things in this world that we still have left to do. Those things are always about helping others in one way or another. We can’t help others from inside our shells. When we put God first and seek His kingdom first, we will invariably be prompted to serve others. We will find joy when we love our neighbors and when we do good to those who despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44). Faith, trusting in God, believing in the grace of Jesus Christ, and having the desire to fulfill the mission I was created to fulfill; are all what keeps me from going back in my shell –– well — at least from staying in there too long.