Joy in wonder

Have you ever seen something so beautiful that it literally stops you in your tracks and you are speechless?

There have been several things in the last month that have caused this sense of wonder in my life.  In the times of drought and struggle, these are the joys that push us forward. They are the cup of joe that spurs us on. Enjoy. 

 This gorgeous sunrise exploded in the sky at the end of a morning Bible study with Cy-Ranch girls. I had to take a picture to capture the moment. God is creative and He likes to use my favorite colors to paint the sky. 

This boy's laughter makes my day no matter the circumstance. If you don't have a favorite baby that you can listen to as they laugh...find one. They giggle as the ones they love, love on them. 

It seems we should giggle more often since we have a God that loves on us all the time! 

Ever having a stressful day...invite sweet friends over and make your favorite dishes. The best conversations comes from the kitchen with a spoon in your hand. Don't forget...in blessed fellowship, calories don't count. 

Last, but not least...the best way to beat the blues...CUDDLE!

Grab a blanket and snuggle up to someone who is always there to love you. just for who you are. 

FIND JOY. SEEK IT OUT. ITs ALWAYS THERE

joy in the closing of a chapter...

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” Psalm 40:5 NIV


The past two years have been a struggle to say the least. God has carried me and protected me and cared for me through accidents, funerals, depression, and unexpected changes in life. God alone has done this. 


" The LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way you went until you came to this place." Deut. 1:31


I sigh in HUGE relief in the blessing of this next stage in life. No more must I weep at unmet expectations, grief, or sadness. God has closed that door and I stand before Him now, stronger, wiser, and different. I have learned to lean on my Savior when nothing else makes sense. Several times in the last two years, I have curled up in His arms and didn't leave for an extended period of time, because I was too scared to go. Security in His presence was the energy I lived with.  For this was a situation that no amount of coffee could fix. 


The LORD, my God, has carried me, His daughter until I have come to this place. Now it is time to walk beside Him with the strength He has taught me to walk in. I am so looking forward to each and every step. He has lavished such blessings on my life, I can't help but laugh every time another one comes, out of sheer joy of my Daddy loving on me. 


"I will follow my Lord every step of my life, for His love is better than life!"


"Every good and perfect gift gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 ESV

Joy in blindness...

For a couple of years, we have had chick-fil-a morning bible studies with the girls in the community. There are several churches and denominations represented. It is a beautiful picture of believers coming together for a common purpose. Jesus.

This week, we camped out on John 9, the blind man healed. I had a completely different lesson planned, and God guided the girls to a different direction.

A question was asked of, "What benefit would it be to the blind man, if he would have returned from the pool still blind?" Often, we choose to be obedient to Jesus when he tells us the instant reward.  Jesus simply placed spit and dirt in the man's eyes and told him to go wash in a certain pool. The blind man was given no hope of healing or a miracle, but still HE WENT.

The girls answered the question with the answer.... "His benefit would be knowing he obeyed Christ. His reward would come one way or another."

The blind man was healed because he showed faith through BLIND OBEDIENCE. He went without knowing the outcome.

Are we obedient to the Spirit's calling even if we don't know if a benefit will even come to us? We are selfish in our obedience.  Many of us live in a way that tells the world that we work on a merit system with Christ. If we are good, He rewards. If we are disobedient, we are fearful of punishment.

One of the girls shared this example... she came home from school one day and randomly decided to unload the dishwasher. Her mom got home from work and began to cry over her daughter's willingness to be obedient...just to be.

Blind obedience is a way for us to throw ourselves in the arms of the Father and trusting that He has us taken care of. We are obedient because we love Him and want to make Him smile. In return, He wants to lavish so many blessings on us because we are His children, simply that.

"If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love."


Take a risk, be blind, and let Him heal!

Joy in hiccups...

Remember when you were a child and you hated getting the hiccups? My sisters used to try and scare me so that the hiccups would stop interrupting my playing time. That tactic didn't really work, rather it added the fear of walking around the corner and being taken off guard once again. The only proved method of curing the hiccups was drinking water...up-side down...from the opposite edge of the glass. It is such a random, goofy, easy solution, but it works! 


In our lives, there are little "hiccups" that interrupt our daily living, and our plan for our lives. It could be as simple as getting a phone call that a lunch date was cancelled, waking up late for a meeting, or as difficult as losing a friendship. Whatever the issue may be, life throws us "hiccups" that disrupt our happy, peaceful life. When that moment comes, we get annoyed, mad, or bitter that life is not going according to our plan. 


We have simple solutions that we try to cure those hiccups. We try distracting ourselves, getting pep talks from friends, and my personally favorite...shopping. Yet when we crawl into bed and wake up the next morning, our hiccups remain and our frustration continues and grows. 


Is there really a sure-fire way to stop hiccups as soon as they arise? I have found the answer is yes! It too...is water. Living water that is. The trick to stop those pesky spiritual hiccups is to drink deeply of God's Word. 


"Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38)


Typically, the last thing I think to do when bumps in the road happen is to simply drink of the living water. All I have to do is stop and drink in the beautiful and convicting words of Christ. When we choose to run to the healing powers of God's word, we pass over the complications, frustrations, and bitterness that come with trying to solve the problem ourselves. Instead, it focuses our mind's attention on Christ. 


"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want...He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:2)


Captivating our thoughts of "losing control" of our lives, we allow our Shepherd to calm us down...to literally restore our breathing. We go from uncontrollable hiccups to deep meaningful breaths. When "hiccups" come in life and we are shaken, we have peace that we have our Shepherd's words to comfort and restore us. Instead of fear, drink deeply and breath peacefully.