Rub-A-Dub Dub... 3 boys in a tub.

I'm a fan of Jon Acuff (Stuff Christians Like). One of his recent blog posts struck a huge chord with me.

It's entitled "Miserable God." Read the full post here.

This post resonates with me deeply. I am so caught up in the midst of trial and suffering that sometimes I think it's the only way God works. I forget that He is a good Loving God who is also joyful... and desires good things for me... I mean, come on, how can I forget his plans are good for me with verses like Jeremiah 29:11.

This is what got to me specifically:

"Why can’t I teach you in the midst of joy? In what better way could I reveal the heart of who I am, goodness, then in the midst of something good? You believe I can only teach you in the midst of great hardship and hurt. But failure is not my only laboratory. Does not a father learn something profound about my miraculous goodness when he holds his newborn baby for the first time after delivery? Does not a bride not see my glory when she walks down the aisle toward her groom? Life and lessons cannot be limited to heartache.

This is what I am wrestling with right now, the continued realization that I’ve made God into an emo god. I know how to cry with him, but not laugh. I know how to mourn with him but not dance. And I think the enemy wants that. He wants us to be ashamed or embarrassed by the great ways God blesses us and reject compliments and think that God can only hold us and mold us in times of great hurt.

But when we do that, we miss who God is.

That he is the God who loves us so much he sent his son to die for us.

That he is the God who longs to be gracious to us and rises in the morning to show us compassion. (Isaiah 30:18) That he is the God who satisfies our desires with good things. (Psalm 103:5) That he is the God who delights in the well-being of his servant. (Psalm 35:27)

Does God teach us in difficult moments? Have we not been promised that in this world there will be trouble? Without a doubt.

But when we confine God’s love and lessons strictly to a classroom of misery we create a miserable god.

And that’s not who he is."

So today, I'm rejoicing in God's daily provision and thankful that He uses happy things to help me grow and change. Conversations with friends even if it's just a quick text. Time with my cousins. Celebrating birthdays. Balloons. Sunshine with cool winds. A walk by the ocean.

Smile.