Feeling all kinds of thoughts and emotions tonight. You know, that feeling where you just need to walk, regroup and sort through things. Haha, I procrastinated just long enough to know that it will be dark soon and, although I know my park would be perfect and I would be glad I went, I decided to stay home instead.
A year ago I made a special gift for a friend ... 365 days filled with God's promises. Let me tell you, whenever you are feeling down, do something for someone else and you'll feel so much better. Start writing up 365 of God's promises and you will most definitely be the one who is beyond blessed.
Throughout that experience (and talking to my BFF, of course) there are certain promises that I hold onto super closely, while they all comfort me. (We will talk about those another day).
Tonight I want to talk about the promise found in Isaiah 51:11 "My everlasting joy and gladness will drive all sorrow and mourning away." My children and I have experienced a lot of loss, which lead to trying to deal with a family load of grief, confusion, heartache and just a lot of hurt. We seriously went through a lot of "yuckies" as many families do ... but the beauty of this promise is that we did not have to stay in the state of "yuck".
God reached down and surrounded my family with His love. He sent a team of support and encouragement. He sent a remarkable church family. He provided us with Godly counsel in ways that only He could do. I have this joy inside that can shine brighter than the darkest clouds, if I allow it to. Sure, if I look around at people, circumstances, the world I could sink right down into despair but I choose to focus on the good. God's track record is so amazing how can I not. He promises us EVERLASTING joy and gladness. Kind of like giving birth ... you go through a lot of pain ... but then you are holding that precious gift from God and you experience this incredible love. In life we will sometimes go through chapters of sadness and grief but if we hold on to Jesus and keep our eyes on Him we can experience joy and gladness despite our circumstances...and one day we will get to experience that for all of eternity. That's really cool!
Until next time ... Choose Joy!
No comments:
Post a Comment