Have you ever experienced the joy of the Lord? No, I’m not talking about happiness. Happiness is not the same at all. Happiness relies solely on the external. Things like pleasure, personal experience and circumstance. The joy of the Lord is wholly different. Let me give you a few examples. Chocolate-peanut-butter ice cream makes me very happy. Blue jeans that fit make me very happy. Children who don’t argue in the car make me very happy. But, smiling while I’m grieving, being able to hug someone who has hurt me, and having indescribable peace when my world is falling apart, now that is the joy of the Lord.
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I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how much of life I take for granted. Especially the time with my children.
I have 6 very healthy sons. The twins who were premature and had a risky first couple years, have come out of that completely unscathed.
As moms, the health and well-being of our children is pretty much at the very top of the list of things we make sure are taken care of daily. As I read about baby Stellan and many, many others in dire circumstances I am reminded once again of two very important things…
First, do NOT take anything in life for granted, realize the gift each moment we have is and celebrate it.
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The other day, I was looking through some old magazine articles I’ve written and I came across this poem I wrote for a teen devotional magazine a couple of years ago:
Lord, help me know
That I’m your design.
Unique, of your hands,
Of your heart
And your mind.
It’s easy to look in the mirror and see
That I am not perfect,
But I am me.
Sometimes I think I’m too short or too tall.
My stomach’s too big.
My chest is too small.
My skin is a mess.
My teeth are not straight.
I try to be God-like,
But just make mistakes.
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Poets and writers – for as far back as literature and songs go – have inspired mankind with the promise of renewal. A time of rejuvenation for the soul.
For those of us who know God, we know that true renewal only comes from Him.
But – although in a somewhat lesser sense – if we’re looking for it, we can find hints of this respite all around us. I believe it is His promise to us.
Night eventually turns into day. Winter slowly melds into Spring. For every tide that crashes onto sandy shores, one more is already rising up behind it.
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I purchased a ‘soap free’ brand of shower lotion last week. It smells great, foams nicely, washes very well, and has added moisturizers to soften the skin. What I didn’t read on the back of the packet until later however, was a myriad of tongue twisting ingredients including Methylchloroisothiazolinone. Seriously, that is one word!
Why do we take natural things out to replace them with artificial substitutes which aren’t even good for us? I was given a block of chocolate this week which was gluten free and had no added sugar, yet still had 36% fat. No wonder it still tasted nice!
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And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV
Thud! My bags hit the floor, and I stepped over them to survey the room. My husband and I managed to get away for a Sunday School teacher retreat in the North Georgia mountains. Alone at last, we flopped on the bed and took in the most heavenly sound – quiet. With two kids at home, our house is constantly a bustle of activity.
I turned my head to see a crack of light spilling through the drawn curtains.
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When is the last time you thought about the miracle of birth?
On Monday, I had the honor of witnessing the birth of my brand new, absolutely adorable niece. It was a major event for me…for many reasons.
Watching a brand new baby who has just entered the world is equally as amazing as the process they take to get here. My niece spent most of her first hour of life with her mouth wide open searching for her mommy.
There are so many amazing verses in the Bible that acknowledge the significance of both birthing a baby and the relationship between a mother and her child.
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