Honorable Joy

     Have you ever felt like you received joy when you didn't deserve it all? I know I have. Sometimes we do things in a less than honorable or Christ-like fashion to get attention and accolades that we really don't deserve. I don't know about you, but when I act in a dishonorable way and it gains me the attention I was seeking, my joy in that attention is not very complete.
     In the book of Judges, chapter 9 there is a story about a man named Abimelech who went about getting his joy in a very dishonorable fashion: he hired men to become his followers and then went and killed 69 of his 70 half-brothers and then got himself crowned as king. Yikes! Talk about dishonorable. The brother that escaped was the youngest and his name was Jotham. Jotham was a godly man and he did his best to encourage the people to turn away from Abimelech because of how he acted. Verse 19 says, "If then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family (this was Jotham and Abimelech's father) today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!"
     Obviously Jotham was being sarcastic. He knew that the people had not acted honorable toward his family. They had murdered all of them and would have killed him too if he hadn't hid. After Jotham gave his speech to the town, he had to flee and hide again. Abimelech's dishonorably actions had cost Jotham the joy of his family and the joy of living in the town where he grew up. This is a lengthy story and I just barely touched the tip, but I would encourage you to read how it turns out.
     When we act in a less than honorable fashion looking for joy, whatever that joy may be, we can be assured that or joy won't last and that we have probably stolen someone else's joy in the process. My prayer for you this week (and I hope it will be your prayer as well!) would be for God to open your eyes to something that you may have done that was less than honorable. Ask his forgiveness and then ask the forgiveness of anyone that may have been hurt in the process. By doing this, I think you will find your complete joy.

Have a blessed week!

Losing Joy by Disobedience

     In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verses 47-48 it says, "Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you."
     These words were given to the Israellites before they were to finally enter the promised land after 40 years of wandering in the desert. They had disobeyed the Lord and were now being reminded to obey Him and his commands or they would become slaves again.
     Have you ever lost your joy by being disobedient to God? I think we all have. If fact, I would say we are all disobedient to God as some point every day. I know I am! And I know that that disobedience often results in immediate loss of joy. Our disobedience results in our slavery as well. Maybe not physical slavery as the Israellites were faced with, but we are often slaves to our money and our jobs because we lack obedience to God's will for our lives.
     It's not easy being obedient though is it? It's hard not to look to the Lord first when that promotion comes up, or to give that extra amount on Sunday when we really want that family vacation. We lose our patience with our kids and are grumpy with our husbands. Or what about that phone call from a friend who really needs us? Did we make time for that?
     God wants us to love others as He first loved us and put others first. That is His greatest command to us. If we can simply keep that in mind, we will become more obedient to Him and in turn, we will be rewarded with great joy. I hope that this week gives you multiple opportunities to love those around you well. I know I will be praying for this for myself and you as well!

Have a blessed week!

Celebrate Joyfully

     This is the season for many celebrations. Graduations and weddings will likely fill your calendar weekends for the next few months. These are times when we celebrate the accomplishments of our children and the new lives our friends and family will be starting with their new spouses. When thinking about celebrations and celebrating, how often do we celebrate these occasions (or any occasion) for more than a day or a few hours?

     Most often, our celebrations last for a day, or maybe even just a half of a day. But it wasn't always this way. In Old Testament times, there was something called the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Ingathering and the Feast of Booths. It occurred on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, every year. During this time, the Israellites were to celebrate joyfully, thanking God for their harvest, their protection and their freedom. They did this every year, much like our Thanksgiving. The only difference was they celebrated for seven days. 

     Can you imagine a seven day celebration, joyfully giving thanks to God for all he has given us? Most of us can't imagine taking that much time to celebrate. In fact, I think it's safe to say, many of us wouldn't want to be around some of our own family members for seven days and be joyful about it! In Deuteronomy chapter 16, verses 14-15, the Lord tells us to "Be joyful at your Feast- you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate.......For the Lord your God will bless you..........and your joy will be complete." 

     The Israellites were told to celebrate joyfully with everyone in their families and their towns for seven days and the Lord would bless them in all their harvests and all the work of their hands and they would have complete joy. When you are celebrating, no matter what the celebrating is for, think about how joyful you are for all the things the Lord has given you and your family, then thank Him for it. And don't just think about it for a few hours while your with your family and friends. After all, if it wasn't for Him, we wouldn't have anything to be celebrating joyfully. 

Have a great week!

Shout for Joy!

     When is the last time you shouted for joy? I can't really remember the last time I shouted for joy. I have had many moments where I have laughed loudly in joy, but no shouting. Shouting for joy, to me, brings to mind a large group of people at a concert shouting when the artist starts to sing their most recent hit. What do you think shouts of joy sound like?
     I know I would have love to have been there in the time of Moses, when the glory of the Lord appeared to the people. Leviticus 9:24 tells us, "Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown." Can you imagine? All the Israelite people that were freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt shouting for joy at the same time. I bet it was louder than any concert we have ever been to!
     You may not have the opportunity to shout for joy this week, or maybe you will. But I challenge you to find something this week that just makes you want to shout or at least laugh loudly with joy. Then write it down. When you find yourself having a tough moment, think back on what made you shout or laugh with joy and I bet you will find your tough moment not so tough. Have a blessed week!

Stealing Joy

     If you read last weeks post on Seeking Joy, I hope you have been thinking a little about the things that bring you joy and the things that take away your joy. Today, I want to switch gears a little bit. I want to talk about taking away others joy. We all do it, and in the end, it affects our joy as well.
     In Genesis 31:27-28, Laban, who is Jacob's father-in-law, has just caught up to Jacob after he fled from him. Jacob had received a dream from the Lord and was told to return to his native land of Canaan. So he gathered up all of his flocks and his family and left with no notice to Laban. He was traveling for three days before Laban caught up with him. Verses 27-28 say, "Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good by."
     Lets back up just a bit in this story, in case your not familiar with it. Jacob has been with Laban's household for many years now. He went there at the urging of his mother Rebekah because his brother Esau wanted to kill him for tricking him out of his birthright. He fell in love with Laban's youngest daughter Rachel and agreed to work for seven years in exchange for her. However, after the seven years was up, Laban tricks Jacob and gives him his oldest daughter Leah instead. Thus the joy stealing begins! Jacob had been anticipating his marriage to Rachel for seven long years, and he is deceived by Laban. Jacob ends up having to serve another seven years in order to be able to marry Rachel as well.
     So now Jacob has left Laban's household with all of his belongings, including Laban's daughters and grandchildren without a good by. I have no doubt that Jacob stole some of Laban's joy by not letting him say good by to his daughters and grandchildren, as the verse tells us. However, there is too much joy stealing in this story to list it all so I would encourage you to read it on your own. Stealing someone else's joy directly affects ours and Laban learned that the hard way. He mistreated Jacob in many ways and it cost him the joy of a good relationship with his son-in-law.
     I think there are many ways in which we steal other peoples joy, and in the end, it directly affects ours. The Bible tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated. If we wish to have other people consider our feelings (and our joy!), then we need to consider theirs. Stealing joy could be as simple as not returning a phone call to a friend in need because we are to busy or not forgiving someone who has wronged us. There are simple ways we can give joy each day and also simple ways we can steal it. I hope this has helped you to think about some of those little things and to learn how to keep your joy and give joy in return. Have a blessed day!

Lessons from Barbie

     I recently rented the movie Barbie Princess Charm School for my daughter. She loves the Barbie movies and I have to admit, I don't mind them either. There is usually a good lesson about being yourself and doing what's right in each movie. In this particular movie, Barbie goes to Princess Charm School to learn how to be a Lady Royal. She finds a mentor in one of the instructors and she starts getting some extra help. In one of the scenes, the instructor is balancing on one foot on a rock with a big stack of books in each hand and a flower pot on top of her head.
     Have you ever felt like that instructor? I have!! But I wasn't quite as graceful as she was. I always fall off the rock and so did Barbie. We can't start out trying to balance everything at once. We have to start small and work our way up with practice and a firm rock to stand on. If Jesus Christ is our rock, then we have started our daily balancing act on the best possible foundation. I have found that if I start my day with Him, I will have a better day. When I don't, I feel even more out of balance.
     As moms, there are things we have to balance each day. These are our necessities. Taking care of our husbands, kids, and our own physical and spiritual needs, taking care of our homes, and shuttling kids here and there makes for a busy day. Amidst those three items, there are tons of little things that go on and in order to have a good balance some of those little things need to remain "little things". You've heard the expression "Don't sweat the small stuff?" That's what I mean. We won't ever find balance if we keep trying to balance all the little things on top of the big things. I wonder if that instructor from the Barbie movie would have been as graceful if she had a bunch of little marbles on top of those big stacks of books? Some how I think not.
     I hope that I could encourage you a little with these words, but most of all, I hope you have that firm foundation in Christ to start your day. If He can balance the whole world and all its problems, it's nothing for Him to help you with yours. Here's a little something to help you remember:

B  egin your day with Christ as your foundation. He won't fail you. Ever.

A  sk God continually for help. He doesn't mind. Really.

L  earn what your "little things" are and keep them "little things".

A  sk God continually for help. Over and over.

N  ever give up trying. You will get it, it just takes practice!

C  ontrol only what you can. Give God everything else.

E  njoy your life. Our families are our blessings from the Lord!

     Have a beautiful week!!

Seeking Joy

     A couple of months ago, I heard a wonderful, godly woman speak on joy at my MOPS meeting. It had such an impact on me, that I decided to go through the Bible from cover to cover in search of joy. I will be posting a couple of verses and some thoughts each week on joy. I hope you will check in and find some joy with me.
     First, I would like to challenge you to do the same thing I did. Take a 3x5 card and write on one side what brings you joy. On the other side, write what takes away your joy. This was a powerful activity for me because it brought to my attention that I am a primary stealer of my own joy. Reflect on these things as you read the passages in the Bible with me on joy.
     Finally, I would like to share with you four things that were given to help us fight for joy (I did not make these up, they came from the speaker):

1. See joy as a command and a gift through scripture.
2. Understand that you will need to fight for joy daily, believing God is who He says He is.
3. Attack the sin that blocks your joy in God by the sword of the Spirit.
4. Learn the secret of "healthy guilt" through God's promises.

     I will be sharing the first verse next week. I am starting in Genesis and will work my way through the Old Testament and then the New, sharing each verse that talks about joy. I will be referencing the NIV version. I hope that you will follow along and take a joy ride with me!

Staying Focused in the New Year

     Well, we are almost a month into 2012! It is going by fast but I'm happy to say that I am doing a pretty good job of staying on top of things. How about you? I decided I wanted to get my entire house organized this year, so from the basement to my kids closets I have been organizing. It was actually much easier than I thought. With a few new storage bins from Target I was able to get my kids toys in shape and they actually are keeping them put away! I also have a great stash of items to sell at a Mom 2 Mom sale.
     One of the things that I found in helping to keep me on top of things this year is staying focused. If I stayed focused on one task at a time, no matter how long it took, I did better. When I lost my focus, I lost my motivation. As well as getting my house organized, I also wanted to get my physical, mental, and spiritual health back on track. Again, staying focused has been the key. I discovered that one of the worst places in my home to lose focus was the kitchen. When I lost focus in the kitchen, I found myself going to the fridge and cupboards looking for something to eat. I wasn't hungry, I just wasn't focused on something constructive. Have you heard the saying, "You can do anthing for 15 minutes"? It's true. You can do laundry for 15 minutes, you can clean for 15 minutes, you can read for 15 minutes, you can excercise for 15 minutes, etc. Look at all you can get done in just 1 hour!
     The most important aspect of staying focused in every area of my life is my spiritual health. When I don't spend time praying or reading God's word, I feel lost. I don't always get time to read everyday, but I am trying! Praying every day is something I definitely do, but I find that I don't always take the time to go to a quiet place by myself to pray. I feel this is very important to all of our spiritual lives. To get away from everything that we have on our plates and take time to sit and talk with God.
     For my mental focus, I am trying to learn to play the piano. I have always wanted to learn, just never found the time. As a busy mom, (maybe you can relate?) I knew I needed something to help keep me sane. Something I could do that would make me feel good besides exercise! Piano is it. Having to practice every day has done amazing things for my mental health. I definitely recommed picking up a hobby to keep your mental health on track this year.
     If you do nothing else this year, get focused on God and all the other things will fall into place!!

My New Year's Resolution

It has been a long time since I have written anything and do you know what I have discovered? As much as I enjoy writing to encourage others, my writing has also encouraged me! I have missed that these past few months and so my resolution is to write more this year and in so doing encourage myself as well as you (hopefully!!). My God bless you all this year and let me leave you thinking about 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 which says ,"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." Who and what are you living for this year?