“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Today’s Christian daily devotional
The minute the alarm clock jarred me out of bed; I felt the ever-looming dark and ominous presence. It seemed to hover just over my bed waiting for me wake up.
“Here goes another day…of not being good enough.”
It seemed to make no difference how early I retired for bed or how many hours of sleep I got, the night could never come soon enough. It was the only time that mental fog of heaviness let me rest. Even the sunshine mocked me.
Bucking the covers as if I could harm them, I headed to the bathroom to splash some water over my face.
Looking up, I caught a glimpse of my aging reflection. I felt that poke of darkness again:
“How long would it take to spackle this mess?”
Trying my best to simply ignore it, I headed towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Of course, I passed up the tasty Coca Pebbles, making the ‘mature’ choice of Greek yogurt with cinnamon. The dark cloud didn’t miss it’s opportunity to descend upon my morning meal, either:
“Your thighs aren’t worthy of a treat today. In fact, they haven’t been ‘worthy’ in over a month…”
For years I was co-dependent on this ugly little monster named: Guilt. Although it’s presence was far from pleasurable, I kept Guilt around. Partly because I believed that it kept me plugging along in the ‘right’ direction.
“If I didn’t have it, would I just embrace my mediocrity? Would I spiral down into complete depravity and become…average?” Guilt’s best buddy, ‘Fear’ chimed right in, doubling my misery.
This fear of being ‘average’ kept me on this endless treadmill of torture. Dissatisfaction seemed to be my lifeboat; ensuring me success in everything I set my mind to accomplish. But it never brought any kind of peace, joy or fulfillment.
One day, I discovered Nehemiah 8:10. Upon reading it, my knee-jerk reaction was to feel guilty and fearful, of course!
“How dare you eat the fat, spread the wealth, enjoy yourself and celebrate? Julia, you’ve got work to do!” My loyal friend ‘Guilt’ had no problem reminding me.
But, this endless cycle was exhausting. If it was getting me anywhere at all, I never felt like I was in a good place; I wanted out. Guilt and Fear had more than worn out their welcome.
So, I got bold and asked myself: “What would happen if I just let Guilt and Fear go? What if the joy of the Lord really was my strength?”
‘Being joyful’ sounded easy enough. But, after a lifetime of fear and guilt-based behavior, it took some practice before I really understood Nehemiah 8:10 on an organic level.
Are you ready to start enjoying life a little more? There’s really no better time than NOW.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
You said in your word that your yoke is easy and your burden is light. I had no idea how true this simple passage was!
For years I felt that if I wasn’t working hard, hating myself or feeling guilty on some level, that I wasn’t doing ‘life’ right. What a foolish waste of my time!
Lord, I know you never intended life on earth to be torturous. Anything that would promote this would have to come from satan himself.
I repent of relying on my own strength and limited wisdom. I thought I knew what was best for me. Apparently, through my misery, I see that I was way off the mark.
Lord, I want the good life. I’m not taking about the lazy life. But, the kind of peace and joy that comes from being satisfied with what you have given me, yet always working to be the best that you want me to be.
I don’t want to be a slave to perfectionism anymore.
My master is you, Lord. The God who created me for His pleasure and glory.
Today, I break my co-dependence with the spirits of guilt, fear and condemnation. I am embracing the joy of the Lord! I’m looking forward to a renewed point of view and a refreshing perspective on the way life was always supposed to be. Thank you, Lord, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Nehemiah 8:10
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan