Thank You, loving Father, for allowing me to be a vessel of Your love and compassion today on many fronts. I pray that You will continue to instill in me the desire to love people for who and where they are. Amen.

********

I recently saw a video of Jason Banks, a veteran stand-up comedian from Columbus, Ohio, sharing a conversation with his “child.” Here’s the transcript.

Okay, this is the last time I’m going over this with you, okay? If a stranger says, get in my van, you do what?

Get in the van on the passenger side.

No, you don’t get in.

So don’t even get in the van.

But if they have a Reese’s Cup.

Now, you get in the van.

No, you don’t.

That’s gonna be hard.

What if they have two Reese’s Cups?

I’m in that van like Peter Pan, baby.

No, you still don’t get in.

I don’t know if that’s possible.

What if they have two Reese’s Cups and a Snickers?

Van time!

No, never get in.

Never get in?

No, never get in.

Never get in. Right.

And if they have Skittles?

Get in the van. I didn’t know they had…

Derek, no…no!

Even with skittles?

Even with skittles. What if they have M&Ms?

And that’s just part of it! (If you’d like to listen to it, click here for the link – Don’t Get in the van)

It is communicated with humor, but here’s the point I want to make: How often do we get into these kinds of conversations with God? Far too often, our minds are hyper-focused on temptations or anxiety or many other things that are not necessarily bad for us, but we just want them so badly.

This can be extremely exasperating in human interactions, but God is patient and keeps driving home the point of not being hyper-focused on other things but keeping our hearts and minds and bodies focused on Him. Our problem is that we don’t think He really wants us to be “happy” when His greatest desire is to bring us joy.

I love how the Amplified Bible puts John 15:11. Jesus says,

I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.

The New International Version puts in a bit more succinctly,

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Today’s challenge is to hyper-focus on God and the joy He has waiting for you in an overflowing supply!