Last Sunday, our Pastor began our Christmas season theme of JOY. I must say, I am pretty excited about this, being that one of my 2010 visions was learning Joy! I want to get to the place where I truly live each day full of joy. What is joy and how are we supposed to live with joy everyday? I don't know all the answers, yet, but I am sure that God will reveal all this to me. I wait with great anticipation to see where He will lead. Sure, it is the end of the year, but hey, I believe in God's perfect timing and so here it is!
I want to share a glimpse of how I've gotten to this place. This year has been just slightly overwhelming with changes. I'm not one who embraces change. I don't like when things don't go as planned. I want it all to just stay the same. But really, can that be? Nothing ever stays the same, and if it did, what fun would that be, right?
These past few weeks I have had a general overwhelmed feeling. I prayed and asked God to show me areas that I could let go of adn where I needed to refocus and redirect my energies. I made the painful decision to give up one of my bible study groups and a very part-time job I was doing, and although, it was a hard decision, I know it was the right decision. Since doing this, God has given me some confirmations!
First, church on Sunday morning was amazing. One thing that stood out to me was, that challenge + risk + hope, brings JOY. We have to be challenged and take the risks involved and know that our hope will bring us ultimately to JOY! Wow, so in all the struggles and worries, we can still have JOY? Yes! This is exactly what I needed to hear, there is JOY in the midst of it all!
Monday, I get a text from a friend asking me if I feel distracted? Absolutely! My mind is so full of what's next on the to do list, that I can't focus, or enJOY what I am doing right now. That's what I want to change! Anyway, through the conversation she says I need to pray about the "right things." She went on to say "Sometimes we engage in things in our lives that we think we should be in and God doesn't want us there. Sometimes we get in too deep, sometimes we do it for other people. Only you and God can decide what role you play in each." That was exactly where I had gotten!
So then yesterday, I read Beth Moore's study of Daniel, and she says, "I understand how difficult this is. But you must let it go. Don't just release it. Renounce it. Push it off. You must, or it will eventually destroy you...get to it, because it's getting to you!" As Isaiah 1:16-17 says, "Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!" It's my time to have JOY in doing the "right" things, and not what I "think" I "should" be doing. And to top of the day, I get an invitation to do a study over the Christmas break from our Tuesday morning bible study, and guess what the book is..."Choosing Gratitude...A Journey to Joy" by Nancy Leigh de Moss! It is a study about being thankful and learning how to live that way! Of course I'm in!
So, I have the Christmas lights on the house, decorations in the yard, tree is up and the inside of the house is all ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus! I am excited to sit back and see, "The Lord is Good!" Remember, we are His gift, and we are the only gift He wants! I pray that we all find and experience His JOY as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!
Blessings to you,
Terri
As Luke 1:45 says, "You are blessed because you BELIEVED the Lord would do what He said!"
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