🤗 Do you long for lasting change? It starts with joyful love

Do you want transformation? Does it ever truly stick? People often tell us that more Bible study or accountability groups are the missing pieces for transformation. But God says it starts with love.

Lasting change requires unconditional, sticky “covenant” love that binds us together, combined with relational skills - Christlike ways of connecting.

Bible Passage:

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:14

Reflection:

What does this love look like? It looks like someone who is bonded with us who connects with us joyfully but also helps us calm.

What is this joy?

Its going to the door and welcoming Ruth in with a smile as she walks up the drive. I’m glad to see her and I give her a hug. Its greeting Alex’s dog as he bounds up to see me. It’s a deep confidence in God’s delight for humankind and deep bonds of connection he forms with me and you and other people.

Author Michel Hendricks puts it this way, “Joy is what I experience in my body and spirit when I can tell that I am special to someone. Usually, because of a person’s eyes sparkling at me and their face lighting up. Joy involves a heavy dose of delight, and being delighted in by another person is a taste of heaven.”

Claudia Hendricks says, “relational joy is the act of sharing our hearts' delight in each other through a sparkle in our eyes, conveying without words that we are special, full of value, and worth. It is the act of receiving and giving through facial expressions that wakes up the body and heart. It is my capacity to live and bond, to grow and to suffer well, the stabilizer of my identity, and my antidote against fear. It cannot happen alone according to God's design!”

Joy is found in the faces of those who truly care for us. Taking the time to pause, make eye contact and meaningfully greet those God has placed in our lives is really sharing Jesus. We pass God’s joyful delight to others through visibly expressing our joy.

Churches that focus on books and programs and groups will grow only to the extent that they are rooted in loving well; which is rooted in these deep roots of joy and calm. I wonder if the church built deeper bonds of care, would we see more fruit that remained?

"I wonder": now that summer is over, will you spend time listening and loving those in your families, friend groups, and church? Will you share joy?

Actions

• List 3 people you want to foster deeper connection with
• Have an unhurried cup of tea with them, asking questions more than talking
• Tell them what you appreciate about them

Prayer:

Lord, help us to pause and cherish the precious people around us. Teach us what it means to truly love and connect. In Jesus name, Amen.