Where's Your Happy Place?

𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝟕:𝟐𝟓 𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇...

This is so true, isn't it? Our enemy is attempting to wear us out. When we think on all of the things that are going on in our world today, it can erode our joy, our hope, and even steal our peace.
 
When we are worn down, we are even more vulnerable to satan's (no, his name doesn't deserve capitalization) attacks. Those subtle thoughts can enter:
 
"God isn't listening."
 
"He doesn't care."
 
"Where is He in all of this?"
 
"If God is so good, why do bad things happen?"
 
satan causes desolation, barrenness, hopelessness and our hearts can feel empty in times like these.  Many times, we don't recognize why we feel this way. 
 
"Feel" is the operative word. When our feelings are especially intense, they can make us believe things that aren't actually true. When we get caught up in the wave of emotion, our thinking gets distorted, and we have a hard time staying grounded in the facts of the situation. This is why it's really important to evaluate your feelings using some clear reasoning and self-awareness.

Our hearts may "feel" empty, but the Holy Spirit lives there, so our hearts can overflow with His power and goodness. We need to let go of everyone and everything in world mentally for a minute, so we can feel the fullness within. 
 
Where is your happy place? Stop what you're doing and go back in your memory--where were you when you experienced that inexpressible joy and wonder in Jesus? Go to that place in your mind.  Feel that? Our happy place can replace our negative feelings. 
 
The one that comes to my mind often these days, is swimming with the turtles when I was in Maui in 2020. With the sun streaming down through the water, it was quiet, beautiful and awe inspiring. My heart was filled with God's presence.  A sense of peace flooded my being. It was like the outside world didn't exist. My soul felt restored. 
 
𝑮𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑶𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏. Give God your anxieties and ask Him to fill your empty heart. Then be still...and know...
 
God makes an oasis in our deserts. This is what it true:
 
Isaiah 41:17-20 "When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
 
18 I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
 
19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
 
20 that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it."
 
He's waiting for you in your happy place. He wants to restore your weary soul.