For I am not ashamed (of enjoying my life)!

Walt Disney World – “The Happiest Place on Earth”

My wife and I decided to take a few days to ourselves down at Disney World during the week of Christmas. We rarely have gotten away with “just the two of us” the past few months, so we felt the need to take a trip when we could.

We’re excited about it, as we loved the time spent there last December. It was during that vacation where I actually got the vision for the The Living Church! Sometimes “getting away” is spiritually beneficial too!

Yet, after we booked the trip for this month, I was hesitant about “tweeting” about it (posting on the social networking websites Twitter and Facebook, for the uninformed) because of the reactions people have to it. Isn’t that sad? More than once recently I have felt apprehensive with writing about the other cool things I’m up to as well.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience when I update my Facebook status from a golf course, or from a restaurant with my wife, that others seem to have a “must be nice” attitude. Such things are in reality, rare treats (my golf habit just isn’t worth feeding more than once every two weeks) but to observers/acquaintances/friends, they only seem to pay attention to these “good times” rather than my usual day-to-day stuff (which isn’t nearly as fun to post about).

The bottom line here is this is an old fashioned, Biblical definition of envy. “Jealousy” is another word for it. The slang translation might be called “hatin’ “, but I could be wrong.

Now I consider myself to be a pretty modest guy, all-in-all. I don’t have a complete wardrobe full of the nicest clothes. I drive a beat-up Honda Civic with 140,000 miles on it. I have simple pleasures (coffee, food and football). I get $10 haircuts every few weeks (and it’s only $10 because I like to tip a little extra at the local barbershop). On top of all of that, being a church planter doesn’t pay a whole lot!

So yeah, when I’m doing something I enjoy… I like to share it for all the internet world to see and rejoice with me! I take pride in knowing I can live my life without regrets, fear, or condemnation, because I am truly blessed! I know that I serve a great God above who knows me personally and loves me more than I’ll ever be able to comprehend!

But despite this, I’ve been disappointed time-after-time by comments made by others (who are mostly supposed happy-and-healthy Christians). Comments that may seem to be in jest, but at the heart of it carries the feeling of something worse.

One time when I got to golf for the first time in months and posted about it, I had a Facebook “friend” make the remarks “Do you ever work?!” (which is what us ministers hear more often than we deserve) and “Must be nice to just take an afternoon off anytime you want!” Of course, he isn’t a close friend and wouldn’t have a clue about my schedule if you asked him.

Some have commented on how I “sure like to eat out a lot”, when in reality it’s a few times a week at most, and that’s due in part to: 1. Being on the road a good bit and 2. My wife’s work schedule. And trust me, we’re not eating out at 4-star steakhouses!

Aside from my shallow attempt at justification, what I’m trying to get at is this: People see the good in other’s lives and because their lives are so boring, tied-up with stress, and without joy, they have to make you feel like some spoiled jerk. What they might not know, is that I’m not “bragging” about these things in and of themselves, so much as I am expressing how awesome God has richly blessed my life, not to mention how much I enjoy living it!

Now, I don’t intend on taking this any deeper because it can become a novel on our flawed human nature. This attitude we often carry about us certainly is not of God, but of the enemy! Take notice that what is listed at #10 in the Ten Commandments:

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17)

It wasn’t just about marital infidelity (which is also covered in the seventh commandment), but the wanting of other’s possessions and blessings for yourself. Let’s compare that to the fruits of the Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Big difference in both meaning and practice between the two! Just as big is the gap separating these opposite ends of the spiritual spectrum where the two feelings come from.

Simply put: When we let the Holy Spirit direct our lives, we aren’t jealous of others, but rejoicing with them in their “good times”! But when we let our flesh (our “bad side”) direct us, we are annoyed, put off, even angry at their “happy lives”!

This is such an important lesson to remember especially during this Christmas season! The Christmas Story and it’s main character, Ebeneezer Scrooge, gives us the perfect example of someone being disturbed at the sight of other’s “Christmas spirit”. It was only when he was shown the mistakes he made by being selfish and glum for all those many years did he turn his life around, essentially becoming a new person entirely!

- Be thankful for what you have, but also for what your Christian brothers and sisters receive… for it is the same God that blesses them that blesses you!

- Enjoy your life! Make no apologies for being happy! And be sure to point up to God to show the “haters” where your joy comes from!

- Are you glad for others when good stuff happens to them? Or are you upset about it? Check your heart constantly!

Oh and by the way, I can’t wait for my trip to Disney World in less than two weeks with my lovely wife Heather! We’re going to have a fun time! Going to eat out at some nice places too! Don’t think I’ll be able to get some golf in though. (Can’t have everything, I guess!)

Have a problem with any of that? Deal with it…