Parties

Jon Acuff, I promise I'm not stalking you.  But seeing as how I follow you on Twitter, read your blog, buy your books, and "like" you on Facebook…it's not hard for me to know what you're up to. 

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite Christian writers, Jon Acuff (see Stuff Christians Like) posted a blog about not hearing from God.  But it had such a beautiful spin to it, that I put that junks on my FB status to let all my friends taste the awesomeness of the idea.  Here's the post in case you missed it (or we're not actually friends on FB and you're creepily reading my blog…just kidding! kind of).  If you're lazy and afraid of commitment, I'll summarize.  Basically, Jon analyzes the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.  But he focuses on how the Father never actually says anything to His son.  The Father does talk, but the verses don't say that He speaks with His son directly.  So throughout the Prodigal Son's up's and down's, the Father doesn't tell him anything.  And then the kicker: even when the Prodigal Son comes back home, and the Father sees him from afar, the Father starts to plan a huge party for his return.  But He STILL doesn't say anything to His son.  Mr. Acuff's comforting idea was that maybe we can't hear God right now because He's planning a huge party for us.  And it was the best idea I'd ever heard.

There's this song by Josh Wilson that's been stuck in my head.  It's called Before the Morning.  And in a way, it follows this same idea.  The idea of "don't worry about the silence right now; don't worry about the pain or the hurt.  There's a huge party waiting for you in the morning."  You can't imagine how just concentrating on that thought has turned my life upside down.  And by upside down I mean awesome (since upside down and awesome are used interchangeably).

Any time something crappy happens.  Any time anxiety creeps in your nerves, or negativity clouds your mind...just think about the party.  Because who's sad at parties?  Well, except for wedding receptions (we all know how I feel about those).  You CAN control your happiness; by letting God control your happiness.  And God is the best party planner in the world.