I'm a Joy Chaser

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22ESV

Confession time. I'm a joy chaser. What's a joy chaser? A joy chaser is someone who chases after THINGS in hopes of catching a little bit of joy. The trouble is, a joy chaser either catches just the tail end of the joy and then loses their grasp or they miss it entirely. It's like a unicorn running swiftly through the forest. A joy chaser can see the unicorn of joy, but they can't quite get it in their grip.

And that's me. I'm a joy chaser. I chased joy in the guise of homeschooling and then around the corner and down the street into this house. I chased joy in the nursery at church and with the "big kids" there too. Lately, I have been chasing joy down the road while I run and in my kitchen while I cook. I chase joy in books and in movies and in brand new red pants that I just love. And maybe that isn't all bad, to be chasing joy, but the Bible says this about joy:

"Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:24ESV

And also this:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." -Romans 15:13ESV

I realized just today that I am a joy chaser (or maybe I've known a long time) and I am chasing it in all the wrong places. Sure, being healthy is a good thing. My kids going to public school this year has been amazing for them. Red pants are a happy thing as is the Dairy Free ice cream that I simply can't say no to. We love this house and our chickens. But my joy isn't here in any of these THINGS.

The Bible makes it clear that if I want joy, I have to go straight to the source. I have to go to God to get my fill of joy. Paul talks about that in Philippians when he tells his readers that he has learned the secret to being content. He knows that he can "do all things through Christ" who strengthens him. He knows that whether he has a little or a lot here on earth, he still has all he needs. He still has Jesus.

So what are the steps to getting joy? I'm still figuring it all out but I know that these are the first ones:

1. Let go of all the things- We don't have to do it all or have it all. Joy isn't in our stuff. It's not something we can buy at a store or order online. Trust me, I've checked. If Amazon doesn't have it, no one does. Let's just be real.

2. Give away some of your time- Believe it or not, joy hides in the weirdest of places. It hides inside a crying baby that just needs held or fed. It's on the top shelf in the dustiest corner at the food bank where you're asked to stack cans. It's in the bottom, over-stuffed drawer of your son's dresser just waiting to be donated to Goodwill or the family around the corner. It's even in the car as you drive others around because they need a ride.

3. Talk to Jesus- He loves to hear from you. God says that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. He longs to have a relationship with you. And nothing gives HIM more joy than to hear from you about your life. Give him all your worries, all your concerns, all your dreams and hopes and wishes, and all your happy thanks. He'll take it all in heaps and still have space to hold more. Don't forget to ask him for JOY because he will give it in abundance.

4. Read your Bible- We talk to God through prayer and God talks BACK through scripture. Those ancient words written so many thousands of years ago still speak to us today. I can't tell you the number of times that I have whispered a plea to hear from God as I read only to read something that made total sense in that moment as I searched the Bible's pages. Don't know where to start? Check out John. You will meet Jesus as the God who LOVES you.

Which step are you going to take today?

Be blessed today and don't forget to be a blessing!

Moving Forward

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. -Romans 12:2

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. -Matthew 10:39

I've been lying to myself for weeks now. I've been telling myself I'm okay, that I'm ready to move on, that I'd be ready if God handed us another baby right now. And I've been wrong. Shaun, God love him!, tried to point this out to me, but I didn't want to hear it. Instead, I buried my hurt and pain over the loss of Gwen and tried to barrel onward. No more! The only way through the pain is through it. I can't go over it, I can't go under it. I can't bury it and pretend it didn't happen. I can only deal with it and hand it to God to take care of.

A couple of days ago, I followed the nudge to put Gwen's things away in our attic. I cried my eyes and my heart out as I struggled to take down her crib and overfilled boxes with adorable baby girl clothes that we may or may not ever use now. I couldn't understand why God would ask me to do something so hard when I was so not ready. I didn't understand.

This morning, I've been working through my devotions on Ruth again for Bible Study tonight and man! They are convicting! We're talking about loss and mourning and releasing the past to God so you can move forward into the future HE holds for you.

I've been hanging onto Gwen for too long. I can't have her here on Earth. She belongs to God and I need to let go of her. I love the way that Kelly Minter, author of the Ruth study I'm working on, puts it: "Take off the old, put on the new; take the risk of being available."

Days later, I now realize what I did when I took that crib down. I'm telling God, now in front of anyone reading this, that I am available. I am ready to move forward! I am releasing all of the dreams I carry for my own life and am completely willing to follow through on HIS! HIS dreams for my life will be better than I could ever imagine!

Before you go on with your day today, please take a moment to listen to this Barlow Girl song, Surrender. It is so powerful and is exactly where my heavy heart is this morning:

God's Unending Grace

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. -Romans 5:20 (NLT)



It's absolutely amazing and awe-inspiring for me to consider the idea that, though we continue to sin day after day, God continues to offer us his grace day after day too. At church yesterday, we discussed this idea of God's unending grace through the story of Adam and Eve. The song above was played at the end of the service and it spoke to me. I truly hope you've listened to it before reading, or at the very least, while you're reading. When you're done listening, listen again. Honestly. Some of these musicians just inspire me. These are one set of them.

When I was a teenager, 17 to be exact, I completely turned my back on God and my family. I was angry at the entire world, God included, because my world had been turned upside down and shaken up when my parents went through a divorce. But this post isn't about that. I just want you to see where I was coming from.

I didn't turn back again until the rest of the world crashed down even harder. After a series of events that left me broken and only able to turn my face back to God, I finally did and I haven't regretted it since.

Turning away should have meant a death sentence for me if I'm honest. I should have been in some sort of accident or something. Instead, God gave me the most amazing, God-fearing husband a woman could ever ask for along with four beautiful children. I have the honor of staying home and raising them every single day. I didn't deserve God's grace in my life at all. Especially after the way I turned away for years. And yet, he gave it.

That's the very definition of God's grace. It's a gift we can never, ever earn and yet he gives it to us. No strings attached. And he doesn't just give it once. He gives it over and over and over again. As many times as we want it or need it.

So here's my challenge for you and me today: Stop trying to earn God's good grace. Just accept it and then show him you appreciate it through your actions.

Have a blessed, grace-filled day today! Amen.