Well, I'm sitting in my chair all comfy and cozy, so I figured I might as well write another blog =) Good enough excuse, I think. I was reading my Bible a little bit ago and came across a couple of my highlighted verses:
"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."~Psalm 30:5
"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy."~Psalm 30:11
The past year, the theme of having joy in struggles has popped up a lot. My friend, Kara, and I have talked about this a lot because it's been very prevalent in both of our lives. As I'm writing this, I'm not really sure where the blog will take me, but I have always found this topic very interesting.
I used to think that joy and happiness were the same thing. Just like being angry or mad...the exact same. Until last year, I didn't realize they are actually completely different. I just did a quick Google search to see if I could come up with some good definitions. Happiness is dependent on outward circumstances, while joy is internal and constant. I definitely think this is true! Happiness can come from having a lot of "things" and having every situation go your way. Joy, to me, is based on trials and struggles. I find joy in my relationship with God because I know He has everything already planned out for me and knows what's best. I have had several trials in the past few years, but also the greatest joy.
It's hard to explain the feeling of joy. It's honestly like a peaceful quietness that washes over me. For example, one day in the summer, I all the sudden started bawling uncontrollably, so I decided to go to the place I feel God the most: outside. I walked all the way out to the airplane circle my dad made and just sat on the grass. I closed my eyes and felt the sun on my face. Right there, in the middle of my uncontrollable tears, I felt joy. Like I said, it's hard to explain the feeling, but right there, I knew God was with me. Even though I wanted to cry for hours upon hours, God was there to wipe my tears:
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book."~Psalm 56:8
To me, joy does not mean feeling all giddy and wonderful all the time. It's okay to feel crappy sometimes and tell people that, too. I have learned that over the years and am continuing to learn that. You don't have to appear happy all the time, but we are to have joy. Like I said, I'm not really sure if this blog will connect with anyone, but if it connects with at least one person, I will be "happy" =)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Bringing in the New Year
It's 2012. Weird. I was laying in bed last night thinking about this. I feel so old! I remember the 90's when I was in elementary school listening to Backstreet Boys and N'Sync; I remember when 2000 finally came and we all thought the world was coming to an end; I remember graduating high school thinking my life would not drastically change; now I'm a junior in college...in 2012. It's crazy how fast time passes!
In church today, Keith Korver was talking about New Years' Resolutions. After showing us really funny ones, he went into the main point of his sermon. We should not have expectations, but rather wait in expectancy. You might have to read that a couple times in order to get the full point of it. It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around. When we expect our life to be a certain way and it doesn't work out, that usually leads to us being angry. He said that anger is the gap between what we expect and reality. So true! I have always had this "perfect" idea of how my life was going to plan out. I would grow up with my perfect family of 7, magically run into the love of my life the first day of college, get married with my Dad walking me down the aisle, have a few kids, be a stay-at-home-mom, and live happily ever after.
Well the years went on and my family went from having 7 people to having 6, I did not meet the love of my life the first day of college, my Dad won't get to walk me down the aisle....to be continued. Now all of that may sound very depressing, but really, God's plan for my life so far has been way better than all of that fairy tale business I thought up in my head. Yes, I would have loved for my dad to still be here, but God had a different plan. And from that plan, I have grown 10 times closer to God than I ever would have if that wouldn't have happened. No, I didn't meet the love of my life the first day of college, but the relationships I have had have taught me so much about how to be the best significant other I can possibly be. No, I don't get to have my dad walk me down the aisle, but instead, I get to have my amazing big brother who loves me more than anything do it instead =)
There is no need to expect anything because there is no way we can know what's going to happen in our lives. God is the only one who knows and He is so excited to reveal those plans to us day by day. So this year, instead of trying to plan my life out for myself, I am going to try more to trust in God's plan. This will be a never-ending journey for me, but God is patient and His mercy and grace is forgiving. I am looking forward to this year and seeing how God will work in miraculous ways. I am blessed in so many ways. It amazes me how good God is. Yes, sometimes it's hard to always feel connected to God, but like I said, He is patient and willing to wait. I am more than excited to finally get to see Him one day and live with Him in eternity.
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen"
In church today, Keith Korver was talking about New Years' Resolutions. After showing us really funny ones, he went into the main point of his sermon. We should not have expectations, but rather wait in expectancy. You might have to read that a couple times in order to get the full point of it. It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around. When we expect our life to be a certain way and it doesn't work out, that usually leads to us being angry. He said that anger is the gap between what we expect and reality. So true! I have always had this "perfect" idea of how my life was going to plan out. I would grow up with my perfect family of 7, magically run into the love of my life the first day of college, get married with my Dad walking me down the aisle, have a few kids, be a stay-at-home-mom, and live happily ever after.
Well the years went on and my family went from having 7 people to having 6, I did not meet the love of my life the first day of college, my Dad won't get to walk me down the aisle....to be continued. Now all of that may sound very depressing, but really, God's plan for my life so far has been way better than all of that fairy tale business I thought up in my head. Yes, I would have loved for my dad to still be here, but God had a different plan. And from that plan, I have grown 10 times closer to God than I ever would have if that wouldn't have happened. No, I didn't meet the love of my life the first day of college, but the relationships I have had have taught me so much about how to be the best significant other I can possibly be. No, I don't get to have my dad walk me down the aisle, but instead, I get to have my amazing big brother who loves me more than anything do it instead =)
There is no need to expect anything because there is no way we can know what's going to happen in our lives. God is the only one who knows and He is so excited to reveal those plans to us day by day. So this year, instead of trying to plan my life out for myself, I am going to try more to trust in God's plan. This will be a never-ending journey for me, but God is patient and His mercy and grace is forgiving. I am looking forward to this year and seeing how God will work in miraculous ways. I am blessed in so many ways. It amazes me how good God is. Yes, sometimes it's hard to always feel connected to God, but like I said, He is patient and willing to wait. I am more than excited to finally get to see Him one day and live with Him in eternity.
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen"
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