A life of Joy

Long before Ann Voskamp came into my life, I knew this truth. The truth that thanksgiving can change a person's life. In college, I learned from experienced missionaries the truth that Joy is NOT dependent on our circumstances. And, I was strongly encouraged to find Joy in every circumstance. These weathered missionaries who had retired from the field and began their ministries of teaching youngsters like myself often were imparting what they had learned overseas. I often felt like I couldn't get enough out of them. That there was a vast ocean of knowledge that just wasn't able to get through to us, mostly because of our lack of experience and our young age.

You may ask why these two things are so important to the life of a missionary? Why are they important to any life? Why is it that I have clung to these two tidbits of information more than anything else learned in college for the last 11 years or so? In these past several years, I've often forgotten these truths.  Nehemiah 1:8 says "The joy of the Lord is my strength."   My circumstances have certainly changed and I am certainly older!  But, I still feel so awkward at this life, I still feel like that youngster just starting out.  I feel as though, in many ways, I am just learning the love of my Savior and the joy that is found in Him.  This year, as I count my 1000 gifts, I hope to recapture that joy in my own life.  That I would reflect it mostly to my family. As we set out to return to Thailand, this time on our own in  some ways, but perhaps much more dependent on Christ, I hope to remember these truths and to practice this.  MY JOY IS NOT DEPENDENT ON CIRCUMSTANCES.  I hope these seven words will embed themselves into my brain until it becomes the first thing I think of when I am tempted to blame my attitude on what is going on around me.  And I continue counting...
17. Reading Winnie-the-Pooh to Calvin and Adele.
18. Elizabeth not sleeping well at night.
33. "Mommy, I had some bless yous." -Adele talking about sneezing!
35. Giving away my Mom's old sewing machine to Lisa and her girls.
40. Friends confiding in each other.
41. Hearing the life story of two recent widows...
43. Calvin learning to pump his feet on the swing.

I think finding joy is important to any life because it keeps us centered on the One who really matters.  When we look around at the mess we are and the mess that surrounds us we can easily become despairing.  The picture looks horrible, we feel that there is no hope and yet, for the life of the Christian we are not to be despairing.  If we truly believe in the LORD's sovereignty, He is in control, we can trust Him because He is good.  We can trust His promise that there is an eternal home that is perfect, where we will live without sin and live perfectly, worshiping our Lord.  We can trust Him that even in dark, despairing times, He is with us and though happiness is hard to find, there is joy.  Psalm 34:8 "Oh, taste and see the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"
v. 17 "When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
He saves...that's the point.  It's all in HIM and apart from Him all we have is the ritual of religion.  So, I'll keep on counting, counting the gifts that He daily gives and slowly, I believe I will see my heart be one full of the joy of my Lord.

                                                    Calvin learning to pump his legs.