For you, my Friend…

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Joy

More times than not my worship comes primarily through song. (If you are envisioning me sitting with legs crossed, finger and thumb gently touching, in a meditative state while singing, that isn’t what I mean.) What I mean is that I can listen to a song (and the ones below are some of my favorites for prayer, and focus on, in this case, my friend Elliot, who is going through some incredible uncertainties.

What she is certain of and professes to believe is that God is faithful, that His love never fails and that this is all part of His plan. She is incredibly strong… an inspiration to us all… especially to me. While she is currently in surgery and throughout the day, these are the words I will be praying for her. Feel free to click on the link and listen or just read the words.

Oh, and if you are someone who prays, or even if you are not (make this your first one), please say a prayer for Elliot, her husband Chris and their 2 young children.

“Bring the Rain“
by MercyMe

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I’ve gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It’s never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what’s a little rain
So I pray

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

“Blessings“
by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

“Word of God Speak“
by MercyMe

I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I’m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

[REPEAT CHORUS 2x]

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay

“Your Hands“
by JJ Heller

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still
Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave you
When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave
I never leave your hands

“Better than a Hallelujah“
by Amy Grant

God loves a lullaby
In a mother’s tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

God loves the drunkard’s cry
The soldier’s plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

The woman holding on for life
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

The tears of shame for what’s been done
The silence when the words won’t come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing
Better than a choir singing out, singing out

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)
Better than a Hallelujah
(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)

What’s the Solution…to my Being Human?

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Joy

Here’s what I know…

When my children are able to strike a nerve just by…

Laughing
Singing
Squealing as they chase each other around the house
Saying, “MOM” (no matter how many times)
Asking for something to drink
Wanting to play a game
Trying to stay right next to me (even if it’s all day)

(You get what I’m trying to say, right?!)

Basically by just being kids…

Something needs to change in me.
In this case the phrase is true, “It’s not them, it’s me.”

SO, I have to ask myself the same thing I would ask them were they grumpy seemingly without reason. We have all seen the euphemism…HALT. Am I…

H – hungry
A – Angry
L – lonely
T – tired

The truth is, sometimes, I’m all 4! It just helps to pause and attempt to discern what is really going on.

I use a phrase with my kiddos. It’s simply this – “CHOOSE YOUR TUDE”
Attitude is a choice.

How better for my children to learn this than for me to model it through my actions?

I’ve seen people in some of the worst circumstances my mind is capable of imagining and yet they are smiling and praising.

I look forward to the time when I am not apologizing so much!
When I have learned patience (be careful what you ask for. Usually the only way to learn patience is to practice), perseverance (you know, the kind only a mother can have), humility (ick), having a servant’s heart (more of you, less of me), the act of being present (ouch! I have a loooooong way to go on this one), being the example of what I’m asking them to be (it’s only fair, right?!)

And if we want to get right to the heart of the matter – I need to pray specifically for these things…MORE. I need to lift my children up to the Father…MORE. I need to ask for help (the Divine kind)…MORE. And I need to do those things that recharge me mentally, emotionally and spiritually (without guilt! Or the feeling that I’m being selfish!).

And no matter how many times I point my finger, the responsibility always comes back to me.

The following is an excerpt from one of Max Lucado’s books.
It is by far, one of my favorite prayers to pray and one that changes my attitude faster than anything else. I would encourage you to read through it once and choose the part that most speaks to you. Post these words somewhere…your mirror, dashboard, desk, computer, (you get the idea), and pray them once or several times throughout the day. You will be amazed how it begins to, not only change your perspective, but shape your actions as well.

Try it! What do you have to lose… except a stinky tude?! Who knows, people may even enjoy being around you.

When God Whispers Your Name

By Max Lucado

Galations 5: 22

IT’S QUIET. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love . . .

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy . . .

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace . . .

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience . . .

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness . . .

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness . . .

I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness . . .

Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness . . .

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control . . .

I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

From When God Whispers Your Name
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1994) Max Lucado

Here are two different translations of this passage,

Galations 5:22-23

This first one from The Message is my favorite.

The second is the traditional one from NIV that I grew up hearing.

Either translation says it simply and truthfully.

If I can get this down, I will not only be a better mother, but a better wife, friend, daughter…

the possibilities are endless!

Galatians 5:22-23
The Message (MSG)
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Galatians 5:22-23
New International Version (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Girl of little faith…Why do you doubt?

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Joy

We forget how fragile life is. How what we once thought was forever is stripped away without warning.

I received an email from a friend who was just told that she has cancer. And not the “okay” kind of cancer that is easily treated, the “oh my god help me” kind of cancer that stops you in your tracks and makes you feel as if you were just thrown onto a spinning merry-go-round with the expectation of maintaining balance.

Disease does not discriminate. It will move in and inhabit the body of a child, a grandparent, or even a young mother. Not even the womb is exempt.

Before we know it, the future that we had planned has been cut short and we are attempting to re-prioritize while the numbness wears off and the realization of our own mortality or that of the one we love, sets in.

Once we have swallowed the news, the questions come flooding in…How do we tell our children, they are so young…how do we walk through this and still meet the demands of everyday life? Is there really a Heaven? What if this is all there is?

And then we’re supposed to sit in it, the feelings I mean. The feelings that change constantly and keep us on the roller coaster of the unknown.

Yes, I know, ideally we would trust that this is God’s will and that it’s all part of a master plan and accept what is happening.

But that’s not in our nature, is it?

Our nature says, “Where is God now?”

My nature has evolved to asking, “Where is God in this?” (Is that any better? I don’t know?!)

We are born with the instinct to survive… to fight death with everything we have. We seek treatments and experts who will tell us something…anything… that we want/need to hear. Our nature is to search the world in an effort to find one shred of hope. It’s to protect our unborn baby…our child…our spouse….our parent. It’s to exhaust all of our resources until there is nothing left to go to.

It is at these times we find that the only thing left is God. Romans 8:18-30

For me, being a seeker of Christ, I believe that the hope is right here, inside of me.

Do I always express that faith when put to the test? Absolutely not! Would I like to say that I do? Yes!

Would I like to say that when stating, “God is in control and even though we are fearful and weak, He is strong and trustworthy.” that I wholeheartedly believe that? Yes! I would!

The truth is, deep down, I know that to be true. I know that God’s word, His promises, His faithfulness, His mercy are mine for the taking and they are new every morning. They’re legit. They are solid. I have tangible evidence of that when I look in the mirror.
I am a living, breathing testament to these truths. Romans 6:23

So why do I so quickly ask myself, “What possibly could be the reason for this?!” Show me Father. Please show me so that I will know why my friend who is a mother to two young children has a deadly form of cancer. Please reveal the reason behind our precious friends who have two healthy, beautiful children finding out with their third that if she makes it full term, she will not live long past her birth and the care involved is extensive and tedious. God, please…please…give me some answers.

In these times, if I will ever be quiet enough to listen, this stillness comes over me and I am reassured that God wants what’s best for my life and the lives of those who I love Jeremiah 29:11

If I truly believe this than Philippians 1:21 is a code for me to live by.

God is God and I am not. And some answers simply are not mine to know.

What’s the Big Deal

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Joy

I can remember being at a conference or somewhere that my dad was speaking and during the worship music that the band was playing people were lifting their hands, swaying back and forth and closing their eyes…it was bizarre!

Yet, at the same time I felt the urge to lift my hands just to see what it felt like. I wouldn’t dare! I was not raised in a church where people did this sort of thing. Why would they?! We were dignified, singing only hymns from a hymnal led by a choir dressed in polyester robes to their ankles with big satin collars, accompanied by an organist.

No sir! We were not led into worship with the most high God by some hoodlum, wearing ripped jeans with holes in his ears and tattoo’s down his arms, who claimed to be saved.

At least that’s not what I was taught. This was before I took hold of the truth that things we are taught growing up are not always for our betterment. Some beliefs stem from insecurities passed down from generations, prejudices, years of attempting to follow rules instead of pursue a relationship. They are fine for remaining stagnant and unaware that there is anyone in this world who might have it worse than I.

At times ignorance is bliss, because once you see it, the poverty, the single mother of 4, the rape victim in the ER, the natural disasters that happen all around us and the children being sold to the most vile of people whose intentions are unimaginable (just to name a few), once you see it with your own eyes, you have to do something or the guilt sets in. And no one likes to feel like they are not doing enough… or even worse, not doing anything…

So why leave the bubble of neutrality and meaningless messages from a communicator who stands high in a pulpit, adorned in black robes, speaking hollow words that are difficult to understand and will soon be forgotten even if they did contain depth. One who is incapable of reaching people because of his lack of ability to relate to those of us who have done things that he would deem unforgivable.

Maybe I’m being unfair…

There is a song by Josh Wilson called I Refuse. The lyrics speak to this very thing.

Back to the subject at hand that started my rant…

I remember the first time I lifted my hands as high as they could go towards the Heavens. It was not even 3 years ago. I was in the shower and as the water hit my face and I could feel the muscles in my arms stretching and my spine straightening, I closed my eyes. I felt a oneness and also a homesickness of sorts…all at the same time. It was just God and me. It felt as if there was no barrier. Not even clothes!

I had never felt such closeness with the Father.

It would be some time before I raised my hands to the Heavens in public. It was just too far out of my comfort zone. Or shall I say it ventured too far outside the realm of my ego.

Ego is a dangerous and tricky thing. If I am living in ego, I am Edging God Out. (That’s not a Joy original. In fact most of us who have been through any kind of 12 step program have heard this before.)

My pride (one of many words derived from ego) would not allow me to open my palms or lift my hands to the maker of heaven and earth. For years I sat in an uncomfortable state when I heard a song that spoke my story. The story I was living at that moment. It was as if gravity itself were keeping me from lifting my hands.

There was a time when I felt that I was denying God by not opening my hands when I felt moved to do so.

I would learn later that the reason my ego kept me imprisoned was because the day I lifted my hands to the sky while singing a worship song, I felt a freedom that I had never known. Complete surrender.

For once in my life, I didn’t care what people around me were thinking. And the truth is, they probably weren’t! I opened my palms and spread my fingers as wide as they could go, while being led into worship by someone wearing jeans with holes in his ears and tattoos down his arms. And I promise you this, God poured out blessings in the form of a better understanding of circumstances, removal of fear, empathy for the lost, love for those hurting, I could go on and on…I closed my eyes and lifted my head to the giver of life. Though I was in a building with a roof, it felt like gold dust was raining down onto my face, filling up my hands and spilling over. No longer would I look down in shame.

This song by Tenth Avenue North – You are More says it better than I ever could.

Here are a few of the lyrics…

You are more than the choices that you’ve made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You’ve been remade.

‘Cause this is not about what you’ve done,
But what’s been done for you.
This is not about where you’ve been,
But where your brokenness brings you to

You are more than the choices that you’ve made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You’ve been remade.

It sounds simple doesn’t it? Just open your hands. For me, it is accepting and acknowledging daily that I am not in control and that nothing I am clinging to in my clinched fist could ever compare to what the Heavens want to pour out. If only I will open my hands…

My challenge for you… go to a quiet place, close your eyes and open your hands. Be still… for even 30 seconds. God will meet you there.

A Stranger in my Own Skin

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Joy

Have you ever felt restless…almost like you’re allergic to your skin?

If you have, you know what I’m talking about and you probably just became a little uncomfortable recalling that feeling. If you haven’t, try to imagine thousands of ants crawling on you… beneath your skin.

I had all sorts of “isms” that I used for years to cope with the feelings and happenings that I wasn’t sure how to walk through or even sit in, for that matter. They worked really well…until they didn’t anymore.

So here I am, almost 9 years later and have learned to meet life on life’s terms…mostly.
My dad called the other day and just like every time he calls, when I answered (thanks to caller ID), “Hey dad.” He responded with, “Hey, My Joy! How are you?”

My reply, “Do you want the honest ‘how much time do you have, cause this is gonna take a while’ answer or the generic, ‘I’m fine, how are you?’ to avoid discussing what’s really going on answer?”
To which he replied, “Let’s try the honest answer.”

“I’m restless! Like, the down in my soul kind of restless. Not the, I’m bored, I need a change of scenery restless. Do you know what I mean?!”

“Yes!” he said. “I know exactly what you mean!”

I proceeded to tell him about the past few days and that after the boys had left for soccer that day, I sat down on the hardwood floor, leaned my back against the wall and just acknowledged the way the floor felt beneath me and the wall behind me. It was solid and definite. There was no argument about it’s existence. Anyone could see that it was there.

There are times when nothing in this life gives that assurance.

As I glanced up through the windows of our front door, it took me back to December 2007. I was 7 months pregnant with our youngest and our 1 year old was in respiratory distress at Children’s Hospital. After the third day in the hospital, I came home to take a shower in my own bathroom and attempt to rest. After walking through the door that chilly December day, I collapsed in a pile in this same spot, looked out through the windows of this same door, at a grey winter sky, and wept.

When I say that I was weeping, I mean, it was so far beyond the ugly cry. It was with my entire body…shaking violently. I didn’t care that snot was mixing with tears and running into my mouth and down my face or that my cheek was pressed to the hard floor. All I could pray between sobs was, “Help me God. Please help me. I have no control over my child’s health…or this growing baby in my belly…or my daughter’s anxiety about pretty much everything. I’m so weary. You’re going to have to help me…please.”

This time, almost 4 years later, I closed my eyes and said, “Lord, I want to know you more than just better. I want to know you intimately. I want to seek you with perseverance and determination. I long for the continuous assurance of your presence. My spirit has a hunger like I have never known.”

My dad’s response was, “This is a really good thing.”

“WHAT?!”, I said. “How can this be good?! I feel like I’m going to implode! It feels as if my spirit cannot be contained any longer by this imperfect shell encasing it. I’m not even sure I know how to pray. Most of the time I either say the Lord’s Prayer or something along the lines of , ‘God, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being so good to someone as undeserving as I. Amen.’”

SIDE NOTE: It really helps that my dad is a life coach. (a.k.a. An expert at not only talking people off the ledge, but giving them clear direction once they reach safe ground.)
I had not quite reached my ledge, but I was inching closer by the hour.

The summary of his advice to me was this…

The desire to seek spiritual nourishment is from God. It doesn’t have any negative connotations.

He put this longing in us from conception…a hole of sorts. Some people don’t recognize it or rather, they choose to fill it with other things. But it is never satisfied and seems to grow larger the longer it goes unfilled.

There is only one thing that can fill up that hole. (This is where you insert that perfectly timed answer. “I know, I know…God.) Of course that’s true, but there is so much more to God than the fact that He fills a void.

As a follower of Christ, the deeper we go, the feeling sometimes is, the less we know… the farther away the finish line looks. This is not a bad thing. We will never know everything there is to know about God until we get to heaven and maybe not even then!

Find a place to be quiet. Relish the silence. Even if it’s for 30 seconds and wait for God’s voice. You don’t have to say the perfectly scripted prayer. You don’t have to go down your checklist of sins or wants or anything else. Simply, be present and listen.

Henri Nouwen wrote, “The real “work” of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me. To gently push aside and silence the many voices that question my goodness and to trust that I will hear the voice of blessing…that demands real effort.”

In the words of Mother Teresa, “Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart. Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.”

Here’s the deal…I have 3 very active children, a husband who I adore, a job, along with a multitude of other things that justify me never taking the time to find a quiet place and listen for the voice that completes me. It’s a choice.

Today, I choose to take the time out needed, however much life allows, close my eyes, unclinch my fists and open my palms to the heavens (the explanation for that is another post all together) and bask in the silence while just being in His presence.

Is it difficult for you to be still, much less quiet?
No matter what stage of life you’re in, we will always have restless times that

prayerfully will only last moments instead of hours or days.

How do you combat those times of restlessness in your own skin?

What does that title mean anyway?

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Joy

I’ve contemplated starting a blog for…oh…about 3 years now. There is a book out there that describes a person’s positive progress as “sometimes quickly,” “sometimes slowly.” I fall in the “sometimes slowly” category.

For the last several months, the “Being” that I choose to call God has been nudging me ever so gently. “Why Lord?! Nobody cares what I have to say! No one is going to read it! AND I don’t want to air my dirty laundry to the world while opening myself up for criticism! My head is a confusing place for me to be! Why would I invite anyone else in?”

And then it came to me, like fog lifting…”This isn’t about you, it’s about Me.” And by Me, I mean God. He brought me through some major life “stuff”. The kind of “stuff” that some don’t survive to tell about.

So, I said a prayer a few months ago. It went something like this…”God, I am only alive because of you. Because of your faithfulness. Because of your unrelenting love and pursuit of my heart. I don’t know why or how you could use a girl like me, but here I am. Use me up for your glory. Amen”

Ever heard the saying, “Be careful what you pray for?”

A little history… I am a wretch…left to my own devices that is. I am a self-absorbed, egotistical maniac with an inferiority complex. (That’s not original, I heard someone else say it). I want you to love me even if I don’t like you. I am self-destructive, manipulative, dishonest and beyond human aid. I was broken beyond repair.

That’s where Christ stepped in…and did what He does so well…He redeemed me.
I lived for myself for a very long time. It sucked.  Don’t get me wrong, there were times when I thought it was great…then 10 minutes after last call, the house lights would come on in the club and everything that looked so glamorous in the glow of the dance floor, now looked dirty, tired and hollow in the fluorescents.

I would get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, like, “What now? I wonder what’s open? I don’t want to go home where the only thing waiting is silence. The quiet scares me cause it screams the truth.” And the truth it was screaming…I was a hot mess!

I figured I would give this blog thing a try. If you choose to read it and walk away with anything helpful, rest assured it isn’t me, it’s God. He gets ALL the glory. I was bound by darkness…shackled to my shame, but then one day I heard what I had been told a thousand times before…If I was the only one in the world, Christ would have suffered the unimaginable death of that day on Calvary.
And for me, friend, when those feelings of inferiority and shame creep up and try to draw me back into darkness, I think of the sacrifice that was made on my behalf. Knowing the awful things I would do, He still gave his life in place of mine. For that truth to go unrecognized is for me to say that the cross is not enough to cover my wounds. And I can say with great assurance…The Cross Is Enough!

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free. I am a student of life and want to absorb anything and everything that will help me live out my purpose (see, told you I am self-absorbed.) Oh, and the chances of a really profound statement being a Joy original…slim to slimmer. I have learned so much from others. Those who sustained me when I was thought to be less than salvageable.

I have this crazy story… about life and love, death, betrayal, heartache, second chances, redemption and so much more…and well…that’s a post for another time.

For now, I am basking in the unbelievable blessings that are my reality while gettin’ my gratitude on that God would choose to use… even a girl like me.