I HAVE HAD A HUGE LESSON IN RECOGNIZING AND LIVING IN JOY. MY LIFE IS FULL OF JOY EVERYDAY. OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE MOST CHALLENGING HARDSHIPS, MANY UPS AND DOWNS AND WHEN I LOOK BACK ON THEM, I SEE THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE THIS GREAT JOY THAT MY LIFE IS, HAD I NOT HAD TO WALK THROUGH THEM. WE TEND NOT TO ASSOCIATE THE ANTICIPATION OF JOY WITH HARDSHIPS. WE AS HUMANS GENERALLY GO FOR THE FEELING SORRY FOR OURSELVES ROUTE FIRST, THEN THE BLAMING OTHERS SECOND, WANTING EVERYONE TO RALLY TO OUR AID AND COMFORT US WHEN OTHERS TREAT US SO BADLY OR LIFE IS SO UNFAIR. WE DON'T INSTANTLY LOOK FOR THE CHALLENGE OF LEARNING WHAT THIS NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LIFE WILL TEACH US, CAUSE FRANKLY WE ARE ALL A LITTLE LAZY ABOUT CHANGE AND WE ARE COMFORTABLE WHERE WE ARE. WE ALL THINK WE KNOW ENOUGH ALREADY. BUT THEN WE GET HIT WITH SOME UNSEEN DISASTER AND WAIL AT THE UNFAIRNESS OF IT ALL. WHEN I FINALLY STOPPED THE OLD WAY OF THINKING AND SAW I APPROACHED EACH NEW HURT THE SAME WAY AND I WAS REPEATING THE SAME PATTERN THAT NEVER GOT ME ANYWHERE, I STARTED SEARCHING FOR A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE INTERRUPTIONS TO MY LIFE. WHICH JUST MEANS I FINALLY SAID "OK GOD WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS" AND THEN I REALLY LISTENED. "CHOOSE JOY" HE SAID, WHAT??? WHERE WAS THE JOY?? IN MARRIAGE PROBLEMS? FRIENDS BETRAYALS?, MY OLDEST JOINING THE ARMY AND BEING DEPLOYED?? MY MIDDLE SON'S TEENAGE CHOICES ENDING IN HIM BECOMING A FATHER AT 18?, HUSBAND BEING OUT OF WORK?, BILL COLLECTORS CALLING??, AND THE ONLY ANSWER I GOT WAS "CHOOSE JOY" WOW ! LOT TO ASK FOR. I REALIZED I WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO HAVE JOY IN THESE SITUATIONS WITHOUT REALLY SEARCHING FOR IT. AND ISN'T THAT JUST LIKE GOD TO WANT US TO ACTIVELY SEEK AND SEARCH FOR HIM. HE WAS WAITING FOR ME TO STOP AND TAKE A BREATH AND LISTEN. HE WANTED ME TO LAY THEM ALL DOWN AT HIS FEET AND STEP BACK AND SAY " I CHOOSE JOY IN SPITE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES I SEE IN FRONT OF ME, I ONLY WANT TO SEE YOU" GOD WANTED TO BE MY SAVIOR!! I COULDN'T CHANGE THE CIRCUMSTANCE OR PEOPLE IN MY LIFE BUT I COULD LOOK FOR THE WAYS GOD WANTED ME TO RESPOND TO THEM, WITH LOVE, PATIENCE AND JOY. I PRAYED AND PRAYED AND ASKED AND CRIED AND PRAYED SOME MORE. GOD SLOWLY TURNED EVERY SITUATION AROUND AND SHOWED ME THE JOY AND PEACE IN EVERY ONE OF THEM. MARRIAGE PROBLEMS, MISCOMMUNICATIONS, OLD HURTS... GONE, MY OLDEST, SAFELY HOME AFTER 2 DEPLOYMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN, MARRIED AND DOING GREAT, MY MIDDLE SON MAKING BETTER CHOICES, LOVING HIS SON AND BEING A RESPONSIBLE FATHER TO HIM, WORKING ON A GREAT FUTURE FOR THEM BOTH, AWESOME JOB FOR MY HUSBAND, EVEN THOUGH HES OUT OF TOWN DURING THE WEEK. IT JUST MAKES US TREASURE EACH OTHER MORE AND THE TIME WE HAVE TOGETHER IS SPENT WISELY NOT TAKEN FOR GRANTED. BILL COLLECTORS STILL CALL, BUT HEY WHAT CAN YOU DO, ITS IN GODS TIMING AND HE IS SUPPLYING ALL OUR NEEDS. THEY WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST, ONE DAY. WHEN I REALIZE ALL THE JOYS GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH THROUGH THESE HARDSHIPS, I AM HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL THAT OUR GOD THOUGHT ENOUGH OF ME THAT I WAS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE AND GROWTH, IF I ONLY KEPT MY EYES ON HIM I WOULD SUCCEED THROUGH HIS STRENGTH, THEREFORE GROW STRONGER IN THE PROCESS. THROUGH THE FIRE, LIKE DANIEL, FACING MY GIANTS, LIKE DAVID, LEARNING PATIENTS AND FORGIVENESS, LIKE JOSEPH, LEARNING TO SING IN MY PRISON, LIKE PAUL. I WOULDN'T CHANGE ONE MOMENT. FOR IF I DID, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SIT PEACEFULLY AND WATCH MY SON, MAKE A HUGE BLOCK IN A FOOTBALL GAME AND RECOGNIZE THE SHEER JOY OF SHARING THAT MOMENT AND TRULY LIVING IN IT. NOT LETTING SATAN ROB ME OF THESE MOMENTS, IS A JOY IN ITSELF. RESTING IN GODS HANDS AND LETTING HIM BE IN CHARGE, HAS GREAT BENEFITS. LETTING GO AND MOVING ON IN LIFE WITH JOY IS FAR MORE REWARDING THEN THE ALTERNATIVE EVER WAS. I LOOK FORWARD TO EACH NEW DAY AND THE POTENTIAL FOR JOY IT BRINGS.
Monday, May 4, 2009
LIFES JOYS
I HAVE HAD A HUGE LESSON IN RECOGNIZING AND LIVING IN JOY. MY LIFE IS FULL OF JOY EVERYDAY. OVER THE LAST 8 YEARS I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE MOST CHALLENGING HARDSHIPS, MANY UPS AND DOWNS AND WHEN I LOOK BACK ON THEM, I SEE THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE THIS GREAT JOY THAT MY LIFE IS, HAD I NOT HAD TO WALK THROUGH THEM. WE TEND NOT TO ASSOCIATE THE ANTICIPATION OF JOY WITH HARDSHIPS. WE AS HUMANS GENERALLY GO FOR THE FEELING SORRY FOR OURSELVES ROUTE FIRST, THEN THE BLAMING OTHERS SECOND, WANTING EVERYONE TO RALLY TO OUR AID AND COMFORT US WHEN OTHERS TREAT US SO BADLY OR LIFE IS SO UNFAIR. WE DON'T INSTANTLY LOOK FOR THE CHALLENGE OF LEARNING WHAT THIS NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LIFE WILL TEACH US, CAUSE FRANKLY WE ARE ALL A LITTLE LAZY ABOUT CHANGE AND WE ARE COMFORTABLE WHERE WE ARE. WE ALL THINK WE KNOW ENOUGH ALREADY. BUT THEN WE GET HIT WITH SOME UNSEEN DISASTER AND WAIL AT THE UNFAIRNESS OF IT ALL. WHEN I FINALLY STOPPED THE OLD WAY OF THINKING AND SAW I APPROACHED EACH NEW HURT THE SAME WAY AND I WAS REPEATING THE SAME PATTERN THAT NEVER GOT ME ANYWHERE, I STARTED SEARCHING FOR A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THESE INTERRUPTIONS TO MY LIFE. WHICH JUST MEANS I FINALLY SAID "OK GOD WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS" AND THEN I REALLY LISTENED. "CHOOSE JOY" HE SAID, WHAT??? WHERE WAS THE JOY?? IN MARRIAGE PROBLEMS? FRIENDS BETRAYALS?, MY OLDEST JOINING THE ARMY AND BEING DEPLOYED?? MY MIDDLE SON'S TEENAGE CHOICES ENDING IN HIM BECOMING A FATHER AT 18?, HUSBAND BEING OUT OF WORK?, BILL COLLECTORS CALLING??, AND THE ONLY ANSWER I GOT WAS "CHOOSE JOY" WOW ! LOT TO ASK FOR. I REALIZED I WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO HAVE JOY IN THESE SITUATIONS WITHOUT REALLY SEARCHING FOR IT. AND ISN'T THAT JUST LIKE GOD TO WANT US TO ACTIVELY SEEK AND SEARCH FOR HIM. HE WAS WAITING FOR ME TO STOP AND TAKE A BREATH AND LISTEN. HE WANTED ME TO LAY THEM ALL DOWN AT HIS FEET AND STEP BACK AND SAY " I CHOOSE JOY IN SPITE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES I SEE IN FRONT OF ME, I ONLY WANT TO SEE YOU" GOD WANTED TO BE MY SAVIOR!! I COULDN'T CHANGE THE CIRCUMSTANCE OR PEOPLE IN MY LIFE BUT I COULD LOOK FOR THE WAYS GOD WANTED ME TO RESPOND TO THEM, WITH LOVE, PATIENCE AND JOY. I PRAYED AND PRAYED AND ASKED AND CRIED AND PRAYED SOME MORE. GOD SLOWLY TURNED EVERY SITUATION AROUND AND SHOWED ME THE JOY AND PEACE IN EVERY ONE OF THEM. MARRIAGE PROBLEMS, MISCOMMUNICATIONS, OLD HURTS... GONE, MY OLDEST, SAFELY HOME AFTER 2 DEPLOYMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN, MARRIED AND DOING GREAT, MY MIDDLE SON MAKING BETTER CHOICES, LOVING HIS SON AND BEING A RESPONSIBLE FATHER TO HIM, WORKING ON A GREAT FUTURE FOR THEM BOTH, AWESOME JOB FOR MY HUSBAND, EVEN THOUGH HES OUT OF TOWN DURING THE WEEK. IT JUST MAKES US TREASURE EACH OTHER MORE AND THE TIME WE HAVE TOGETHER IS SPENT WISELY NOT TAKEN FOR GRANTED. BILL COLLECTORS STILL CALL, BUT HEY WHAT CAN YOU DO, ITS IN GODS TIMING AND HE IS SUPPLYING ALL OUR NEEDS. THEY WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST, ONE DAY. WHEN I REALIZE ALL THE JOYS GOD HAS BLESSED ME WITH THROUGH THESE HARDSHIPS, I AM HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL THAT OUR GOD THOUGHT ENOUGH OF ME THAT I WAS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE AND GROWTH, IF I ONLY KEPT MY EYES ON HIM I WOULD SUCCEED THROUGH HIS STRENGTH, THEREFORE GROW STRONGER IN THE PROCESS. THROUGH THE FIRE, LIKE DANIEL, FACING MY GIANTS, LIKE DAVID, LEARNING PATIENTS AND FORGIVENESS, LIKE JOSEPH, LEARNING TO SING IN MY PRISON, LIKE PAUL. I WOULDN'T CHANGE ONE MOMENT. FOR IF I DID, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SIT PEACEFULLY AND WATCH MY SON, MAKE A HUGE BLOCK IN A FOOTBALL GAME AND RECOGNIZE THE SHEER JOY OF SHARING THAT MOMENT AND TRULY LIVING IN IT. NOT LETTING SATAN ROB ME OF THESE MOMENTS, IS A JOY IN ITSELF. RESTING IN GODS HANDS AND LETTING HIM BE IN CHARGE, HAS GREAT BENEFITS. LETTING GO AND MOVING ON IN LIFE WITH JOY IS FAR MORE REWARDING THEN THE ALTERNATIVE EVER WAS. I LOOK FORWARD TO EACH NEW DAY AND THE POTENTIAL FOR JOY IT BRINGS.
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