Encouragement – Page 2 – Joy in the Journey

What’s robbing YOUR joy???

Dread. Sadness. Despair. Feeling overwhelmed. Feeling stuck. Paralyzed.

Not a pretty picture. But a window into my soul these past days.

In a sense, it’s inevitable. To be expected. As we prepare to move back to our home country later this year, there is “stuff” we have to face. Have to work through. Add to that everything that is happening in our world these days… the overall picture isn’t very encouraging. Actually, it’s rather depressing and bleak.

And yet I’ve fallen into a dangerous trap. A trap that is robbing me of joy. Robbing me of savoring each day as the gift it’s intended to be. Robbing me of my focus. My perspective.

What I’ve subtly slipped into is focusing on

all my to-do lists.
the unknowns awaiting us.
deadlines.
expectations — mine and those of others (which often are unfounded).
listening to voices — real and imagined — that make me question myself. Make me question God.
digging up past mistakes.
rehearsing failures, which means not remembering victories, good things that happened.
what social media and the news has to say, which is a sure-fire way to get depressed!

I was sharing this malaise with my husband the other day, and he said something profound:

“God more fully understands our feelings than we do…. We need to be self-sympathetic instead of self-accusing… Despair over past mistakes is what Screwtape has on his clipboard for you, Mary.” [referencing C.S. Lewis’ book “The Screwtape Letters” that portrays Satan’s schemes to derail God’s people]

God more fully understands our feelings than we do

When the cares of my heart are many/when my anxious thoughts multiply within me/when doubts fill my mind/when I am upset and beside myself, Your [God’s] consolations/Your comforts cheer my soul/delight me/give me needed hope and cheer/calm me down and cheer me up.

Psalm 94:19 compiled from various versions

Hmm… this made me wonder… what do God’s consolations look like? How can they cheer my soul?

Reading Psalm 94 in its entirety gives some hints:

verses 9-11 remind us that God knows what’s going on! (“He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?”)
verses 17-18 remind us that God has shown His support of us already! (“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up”)
verse 22 reminds us that God has already become our stronghold, the rock of our refuge.
verse 23 reminds us that someday He WILL surely judge all the injustices and wrongs in our world, in our lives.

As I ponder and focus on God’s character, the cares of my heart are reframed. In other words, what can seem overwhelming or a big deal shrinks when seen from God’s perspective. He alone sees ALL of my life. ALL of my days. My unknown (to me) future. My fears. My desires.

Yes, there are things that rob my joy — at least attempt to do so. And yet I’m endeavoring to be intentional in looking for the “consolations of God” to see how He may be working on my behalf to cheer my soul. To delight me. To give me much needed hope. To calm me.

I’ve written in my agenda — with large letters — “I choose JOY!” A visible reminder that every day, as I start each day — and numerous times throughout — I need to do whatever it takes to focus on things that won’t drag me down and rob my joy. I need to carefully choose what I listen to, what I watch, what I read. I need to limit (eliminate?) my exposure to social media and news. I need to be sensitive to others, to reach out to others — because that helps me to get my focus off me, myself, and I!

We’ll still be doing a lot of processing, a lot of grieving as we leave this place that has been home for over a decade. And disengaging here and preparing to reengage elsewhere will be fraught with a myriad of emotions… BUT…

God more fully understands our feelings than we do

… and focusing on what He says is true will be how we navigate this next season, enabling us to not get sidetracked by feelings of dread, sadness, despair; acknowledging that there will be times of feeling overwhelmed, but choosing to not dwell there; doing things that are emotionally-recharging when that stuck, paralyzed feeling kicks in. However imperfectly we do this — with some days being successful, somedays not — it will be how we’ll have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Heart on paper…

One of the reasons I first started writing was to figure out what was going on inside my head… inside my heart. It somehow seemed to help when I “verbalized” whatever I was going through in black and white… with pen and paper.

One writing in particular still stands out in my memory. I remember when it was written. Where I was. What I was struggling with…

I was a freshman at university. It was a cold, dreary winter day. I had driven our family’s big, yellow station wagon over to “the Fort,” a local beach that to this day is my all-time favorite beach because of its pristine, uncluttered shoreline. I was trying to figure out who I was… what life is all about… how God fits into the picture, IF He does.

I vividly remember the way the sky looked. Threatening… yet at the same time, hopeful. Sun rays were peaking through the gloom. As if God were reaching down from heaven, reaching out His hands to me, wanting to pull me out of my despair and confusion.

Unfortunately, what I wrote that wintry day got lost over the years. But I still look back on that day as when I began to value putting my heart on paper.

Fast forward to today…

As I’ve been reading through the Old Testament of the Bible, I’m increasingly overwhelmed by seeing the heart of the authors on paper. I’m at that point in the story where the children of Israel are about to enter the Promised Land. They’ve been wandering in the wilderness for forty years (due to the disobedience of some of their leaders). They’ve been given directives as to how to best represent God to the people and nations they are preparing to conquer. They’ve been on a roller coaster of doing the right thing, blowing it, saying they’ll do better the next time… kinda sounds a lot like me!

Moses, their leader, is now 120 years old. He personally has been barred from entering the Promised Land because of losing his temper and not doing what God told him to do (see Numbers 20:12, Deuteronomy 3:23-28, and Psalm 106:32-33). In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses’ heart on paper jumps off nearly every page as he prepares the people for what lies ahead, reminding them of all that God has instructed. Reminding them of where they have come from and what is expected of them.

Do not fear of be dismayed… (1:21)
Do not be in dread or afraid of [the enemy]. The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son… (1:29-31)
… listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land… (4:1)
Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart… (4:9)
… watch yourselves very carefully. (4:15)
… beware lest you act corruptly… (4:16)
… beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them… (4:19)
Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God… (4:23)
… be careful… to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. (5:32)
… be careful to do [all God’s statutes and commands], that it may go well with you… (6:3)
… remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. (7:18-19)
… be careful to do [the whole commandment that I command you today] that you may live and multiply… (8:1)
… remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. (8:2)
Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His rules and His statutes… (8:11)
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ (8:17)
Remember and do not forget… (9:7)
… consider the discipline of the Lord your God, His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm… (11:2)
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them… (11:16)
Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, but at the place that the Lord will choose… (12:13)
Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever… (12:28)
… take care that you be not ensnared to follow [the enemy nations] after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods… (12:30)
… remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you… (15:15)
… remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. (16:12)
… let not your heart be faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of [the enemy], for the Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give us victory. (20:3-4)
… be careful to do [these statutes and laws] with all your heart and with all your soul. (26:16)
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of [the enemy], for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (31:6)

Do you hear it?? Do you hear Moses’ heart?? Over and over again… like a parent getting ready to launch their child into the world. Do not fear. Do not be dismayed. Do not be in dread. Do not be afraid. Listen. Take care. Watch yourselves. Beware. Be careful. Remember. Consider. Do not forget. Be strong and courageous. God goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Moses’ heart on paper mirrors the heart of God.

God, our Father, over and over again wants us to know how much He loves us. How much He wants us to listen to Him and follow His instruction manual for life, the Bible. Just as those rays peaking out from behind gray clouds years ago were “reaching” for my heart so that I would turn to Him, so today God is reaching out to you, dear friend, to draw you to Himself, to encourage your heart, to guide you. In the words of Moses, “take care” that you avail yourself of all that God has to offer, and together we’ll have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

The danger of assumptions…

It was the summer before graduating from university. I had gotten a job as a chambermaid at a hotel in a resort town at the beach. My co-workers and I wore turquoise blue dresses as we changed beds and cleaned bathrooms. Yes, dresses. It was the 70s after all! We also wore “sensible” shoes because of being on our feet all day long.

When preparing a room for new guests, I left a little booklet on the bedside table that told a bit about me: what I was studying at university, what my interests were, what I was hoping to do after graduation. It also included a brief summary of the decision I had made two years earlier to become a Christ-follower, and explained how one might initiate a personal relationship with Christ like I had done.

One morning, a little girl stood in the hallway intently staring at me as I prepared to clean her family’s room. She had a perplexed look on her face, a look of total confusion. She finally blurted out, “I thought you were a nun, but I’ve never seen one dressed like you!”

She had made the assumption that a) the booklet I had left in their room indicated I was a “religious” person and since b) the religious people she knew were all dressed in black habits — not turquoise blue dresses! I must therefore c) be a nun!

Jumping to conclusions. Making assumptions. We’re all prone to do it. But the results can be much more serious than assuming one’s wrong occupation like the little girl did so many years ago.

Another case of making an erroneous assumption is recorded long before that encounter at the hotel when I was in university. This time we read about it in the Old Testament book of Numbers.

The Israelites were preparing to enter the Promised Land. FINALLY! They had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and now were getting final instructions before conquering and dividing up the land they were to inherit. Two of the tribes (Reuben and Gad) wanted to stay on the East side of the Jordan River. They raised livestock, and that land was more conducive for their herds than the land on the other side of the river. They very respectfully went to their leader (Moses) and requested permission to settle there.

Moses had a fit! He got really angry!

Do you intend to stay here while your brothers [the other tribes of Israel] go across and do all the fighting? Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them? Your ancestors [the ones who had earlier spied out the land] did the same thing… they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them… Here you are, a brood of sinners doing exactly the same thing! You are making the Lord even angrier with Israel. If you turn away from Him like this and He abandons them again in the wilderness, YOU will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!

Numbers 32: 6-15

He assumed their request meant the men would not join the other tribes in going to battle to conquer the land, but rather wanted to take the easy way out, staying on “their” side of the river.

Wrong!

The tribes of Reuben and Gad then explained to Moses that they were willing to arm themselves for battle and join the others. They simply wanted to get their families and livestock situated before doing so.

We simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children. Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people. We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of the land. But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our inheritance.

Numbers 32:16-19

Wrong assumptions can be deadly. By misreading a situation, we’re prone to jump to wrong conclusions. We don’t understand motives, often guessing at them. Often guessing wrong.

We sometimes (almost all the time??) don’t let the other person explain their thinking. We barge ahead, not listening — because we’ve already made up our mind. We usually assume the worst.

Wrong assumptions can destroy relationships. We become suspicious. They foster wrong thinking. We end up shrinking back from saying or doing something.

Hmm… what can I learn from all this?

Take time to listen… really listen.
Avoid the tendency to cut the other person off because you think you know what they will say or what they want to do.
Choose to believe the best about others — instead of jumping to the worst, often negative, conclusions.
Be open to seeing things from a different perspective.
Ask questions to clarify any potential misunderstandings.

There’s another incident of misjudging motives and jumping to wrong conclusions once the two tribes finished helping the others conquer the land and were returning to their homeland. But I’ll save that for another blog.

In the meantime, I’m guessing this is something that isn’t a one-time-got-it-all-figured-out kind of thing. But rather something we ALL need to grow in.

We’re ALL in process. But hopefully together, we can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Decisions, decisions, decisions…

I not-so-affectionately refer to it as our “trifecta.” Several major decisions all converged upon our lives around the same time. Decisions that have interrupted our lives. Decisions that have robbed me of sleep. Decisions that have fostered hours of conversation with my husband, which is a wonderful fringe benefit, by the way!

We seem to have our best talks while walking, and so the past weeks we’ve been up early to beat the tropical heat (it’s now summer here in Thailand, our “hot season”). We’ve walked round and round a nearby housing development… and we’ve gone round and round in our thinking.

Not my favorite place to be.

I’m not a fan of ambiguity. I don’t like it when my secure little world gets rattled. I prefer having all my ducks in a row. ALL the time.

But life’s not like that.

This latest “trifecta” has forced me to reexamine the things I say I believe and hold fast to. It also reminded me that I blogged about this a few years ago (see link below). Gulp! Guess I’m still needing to learn some things about decision making.

God’s Word (aka the Bible) usually doesn’t spell out the answers to our decision-making questions in black and white, but it does give some helpful hints for us to discern what to do. After all, He’s a good Father. The perfect Father. And He wants us, His kids, to grow up. To learn to use our brains and good sense. Our part is to listen, to act in faith — not in ourselves, but in Him.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)

“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP)

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Trust. Don’t try to figure everything out on your own. Listen. Keep your thoughts on God.

Easier said than done!

My default decision-making setting is to try to figure everything out myself. Ask advice of others — sometimes. Stew. Substitute activity/busyness for being quiet. For listening to God. All of which is a recipe for becoming anxious, feeling overwhelmed, being fearful. NOT at all what God promises.

So… where are my husband and I in our current “trifecta”?

We’re intentionally listening a LOT… to each other and to God. We’re seeking advice from others. We’re gathering information so that, at least as far as is humanly possible, we know the facts, the options before us. And ultimately, we’re trusting that God will make things clear. In HIS timing, which often is different from ours. We’re trusting that He, as a good Father, isn’t playing games with us. After all, He sees the big picture and is aware of factors that aren’t even on our radar.

Yep. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to navigate the decisions of life. But may we encourage one another to trust. To not try figuring everything out on our own. To listen to and keep our thoughts on God. And as we do so, may we have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Hmm… what might my crystal ball say???

Tambourine-toting influencer…

Miriam was the big sister. Her younger brothers, Aaron and Moses, were key players in what is referred to as the “Exodus,” an event that took place a LONG time ago..

The children of Israel found themselves in Egypt… as slaves. (How they got there is another story. For another blog.) Moses was tasked with leading the people — 600,000 men and an additional who-knows-exactly-how-many women and children — to the “Promised Land,” a land described as flowing with milk and honey.

The ruler of Egypt at the time kept flip-flopping in giving them permission to leave. As slaves, the Israelites played a vital role in the building of his empire. Losing such a large work force would have serious repercussions for the entire nation. And so God resorted to drastic measures to force the king’s hand in letting the people go.

A series of plagues finally persuaded the king — Pharaoh — to relent. I must admit — the plagues were pretty horrible. First, all the water of the Nile River was turned to blood. Then frogs were found everywhere: in their bedrooms, on their beds, in their ovens and kneading bowls. After that, the dust of the earth turned into gnats, gnats that annoyed both man and animal. And then swarms of flies were everywhere. If I had been Pharaoh, I think I would’ve been having second thoughts by this time!

But no. It kept getting worse. All the livestock of the Egyptians — horses, donkeys, camels, herds, flocks — died. Ironically, the livestock of the Israelites wasn’t touched. Then both man and animal broke out in painful boils. After that, the land was pelted with hail. It struck down everything that was in the field and in all the land of Egypt, affecting both man and animal. The next thing that happened was the land was stripped bare by locusts. Anything that had survived the hail storm was now completely decimated. What gives me the creeps is that the locusts were so thick you couldn’t see the ground… and they were in the houses! Ugh.

By now, don’t you think Pharaoh would’ve thrown up his hands and told the people to skedaddle?!? Nope. Another attempt to change his mind was covering the land with pitch darkness for three days. It was so dark that the Egyptians couldn’t see one another. They didn’t leave their homes during this time. But once again, the people of Israel fared differently: they had light where they lived.

The final plague was death: death of every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the servant girl to the firstborn of the cattle. The only way anyone could escape certain death was to paint the two doorposts and the lintel of one’s home with the blood of a freshly killed lamb, a lamb that was perfect, without blemish. A male lamb a year old. Those who adhered to this directive would be “passed over.” The plague would not touch them or their family. (This is where the Jewish Passover feast has its roots.)

And it happened. The worst nightmare anyone could imagine. ALL the firstborn in Egypt — from Pharaoh to the captive in the dungeon to the livestock — died. There was not a single house where someone was not dead — except those with the blood on their doorposts and lintel.

This was the straw that broke Pharaoh’s back.

In a whole series of remarkable events — the most significant being when God literally parted the waters of the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through on dry ground, whereas Pharaoh and his army got swept away — they were finally free! Four hundred and thirty years of captivity. Four hundred and thirty years of slavery. OVER and DONE WITH!

To say they were happy, overjoyed is an understatement! They were ecstatic! If I had been there, I’m sure I would also have been jumping up and down for joy! Moses and the people, with hearts filled with joy and thanksgiving, sang a song to God recounting all that God had done on their behalf.

And then Moses’ big sister Miriam grabbed a tambourine and led the women in dancing and singing a song about the incredible events they had just witnessed.

I got to thinking about how old Miriam may have been when all this happened… The biblical account says that Moses was 80 and Aaron 83, so she must’ve been around 85 or older.

Hmm…

One of the things I’m increasingly aware of as I grow older is how my capabilities and limitations keep changing as I go through different seasons of life. For example, when our children were toddlers, caring for them left little time for much outside activity. But as they grew, became more independent, and eventually left our home I had more time for outside interests and responsibilities.

Now, a few decades later, I can look back on a myriad of life experiences that have helped me become the woman I am today. I may not have the energy that I had when I was in my 20’s and 30’s, but (hopefully!) I’ve grown in wisdom and character — the intangible “things” that are most important in life.

Which brings me back to Miriam. I want to be a tambourine-toting influencer of people for as long as I live! I don’t want to let age or energy-level or season of life or anything else hinder me from being the type of person who makes a difference in my corner of the world.

Every time I think of being a tambourine-toting influencer a smile creeps upon my face! And I get excited that God isn’t done with me yet! That I can continue loving and serving Him for the rest of my days.

Will you join me in the dance?! And together, we’ll have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Note: for more details, read Exodus chapters 1-15

Only half of the story…

Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician back in the 1920’s. A few decades later he had become an international musical icon. Affectionally nicknamed Satchmo (or Satch) and Pops, his rendition of “Go Down Moses” popped into my head this morning.

When Israel was in Egypt land
(let my people go)
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
(let my people go)
So the Lord said, “Go down Moses,
way down in Egypt land.
Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go.”
lyrics from “Go Down Moses”

I was reading in one of the early books of the Old Testament, the book of Exodus. The Israelites, who had been living in Egypt for 430 years, were languishing in that land. They were ruthlessly made to work as slaves. They were dealt with shrewdly by taskmasters who afflicted them with heavy burdens. They were oppressed. If anyone had reason to want out of a bad situation, these people had multiple reasons. If anyone had reason to wonder if God had forgotten them, these people had ample opportunities to question His presence, His care.

But God did hear their groaning. He remembered that He had made an agreement with their forefathers that this nation would represent Him to the world, that they would be His people. He saw their situation. He knew their pain.

And so God put into motion a plan to rescue His people. To save them. A plan that involved a somewhat reluctant leader, Moses.

Moses was tasked with going to Pharaoh — the King of Egypt — to relay God’s message:

“Let My people go,
that they may serve Me…”
God’s words to Pharaoh,
as communicated by Moses in Exodus 7:16 and other verses

Louis Armstrong’s song only tells half of the story. The popular spiritual neglects the other half of the story, the most important part.

The reason God wanted Pharaoh to let My people go was so that they may serve Me. Not that they would be rescued from a hostile environment (which did, indeed, happen). Not that they would have another leader (instead of the oppressive Pharaoh). Not that their lives would be better, easier, more “normal.”

Hmm… how does this relate to me?!?

When I was a university student, I became a Christ-follower by putting my faith and trust in the Son of God. I was “saved,” as the vernacular puts it, from having to pay the penalty for my sin — attitudes, actions, thoughts that go against God’s standards — myself. Jesus paid the penalty for me through His death.

Reading about Moses, the Israelites, and Pharaoh reminded me that I have been saved to serve God. Ultimately, that’s my purpose here on planet Earth. Anything else is a fringe benefit, so to speak.

There are a lot of ways that each Christ-follower serves God:

by loving others in the same way Christ loves us — not just pretending to love, but loving unconditionally, with genuine affection
by holding tightly to what is good
by hating what is wrong
by showing honor to one another
by helping those in need
by praying for our leaders
by blessing those who persecute us instead of cursing them
by being happy with those who are happy… and weeping with those who weep
by doing all that we can to live in peace with everyone
…. and the list goes on and on!

But in addition to these things — which I’m constantly working on! somedays I do better than others!– how do I serve Him? What is God’s particular assignment for me?

For we are God’s masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10

God has wired each of us differently. We each have unique ways that we process and relate to our world and to others. We each have different talents and abilities. Different seasons of life cause us to evaluate our capabilities and limitations — and to make mid-course corrections, if necessary. And yet it’s important to not lose sight of the most important thing:

… that I may serve Him…

May we encourage one another to keep serving God our focus, and together, may we have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Dress rehearsal…

My poor husband… every year, at the beginning of the New Year, I subject him to a year-end evaluation. We ask ourselves a series of questions that we reflect on individually and then discuss together:

In general, how would you rate this past year on a scale from 1-10?
What are some things we did well as a couple that we want to continue? What are some things we can improve on?
What were some of the most important lessons you learned this past year? How might you incorporate what you learned this next year?
Looking back over the past year, how would you say we did using our time, talents, and resources? Is there anything we can do in this new year to improve?
How are you different this year from the previous year?
Who and/or what are you especially grateful for in 2024?
How can I best support you to help you achieve your personal goals in the New Year?

I say “my poor husband” because this exercise has not always been met with enthusiastic support! And we haven’t done it every year. Nevertheless, it has proved to be something that helps both of us be more in sync with one another. Something that helps us to continue learning about one another. Something that helps us set priorities for how we use our time, talents, and resources.

Rehearsing the past year helps us be more focused and productive in the new year.

The great thing about rehearsals
is that they show you where your weaknesses are,
where your preparation was faulty;
and they leave you time to
change before the real play
in front of a real audience.
John Piper in “Solid Joys” December 31, 2024

Ten days before Christmas my father-in-law passed away. Yeah, the timing wasn’t the greatest. Death is one of those things we all know we’ll face someday, but it still comes as a shock. A gut-wrenching reality. Interestingly enough, however, the writer of one of the Wisdom Books in the Old Testament of the Bible says

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this [death] is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart [solemnly ponder its meaning]. Ecclesiastes 7:2

So… what’s all this have to do with rehearsing the past year???

John Piper, in the above quote, went on to say that “There are few things more revolutionizing for my life than a periodic pondering of my own death.”

Sounds kind of morbid, right?! But another Wisdom Book encourages us…

… teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom [live wisely and well]. Psalm 90:12

Numbering our days. Intentionally rehearsing the past so as to be more on target in the future. Making any necessary changes before the “real play in front of a real audience.”

Someday, EACH of us will stand before a holy God and give an account for our life. He’s the “real audience.” He’s a loving Father who wants to have a relationship with us, a relationship that hinges on our acceptance or rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

As we embark on this New Year, may I encourage you to rehearse this past year, evaluating where there were weaknesses, where your preparation may have been faulty, what changes need to be made. And as we do this, may we together have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

Early mornings…

Our daughter was only three or four months old. We had taken her on a short road trip to meet some of the relatives for the first time. When we put her down for her nap, we unpacked and rested a bit ourselves.

Hmm… seems she is sleeping longer than normal. This is strange. Is this ok?!? Normal?!?

As first-time parents, we went into hovering/panic mode. We didn’t want to wake her, and so we kept checking on her. Kept making sure our precious little girl was still breathing. We were anxious, to put it mildly.

And then… she woke up! Whew! What a relief! We later realized it was just her body’s reaction to a lot of new stimuli, being in new surroundings, traveling on a hot summer day.

A song I’ve been listening to recently in my Quiet Time — that time first thing in the morning when I spend with God, listening to Him, reading His Word, soaking in His presence — has intrigued me. It talks about how eagerly God looks forward to when I wake up each morning. Just as my husband and I did with our daughter.

Early in the morning
You wait for me to rise
Counting down the seconds
Until I open up my eyes
I hear Your invitation
You have been so patient
Lord, this is my reply…

I wanna walk with You
and talk with You
Hear You speaking
Feel You breathing…
Walk with You
“Walk with You” by Michael Bethany

I don’t know about you, but I usually don’t think of God EAGERLY looking forward to spending time with me. And yet as a Father who fiercely loves me, He does! He enjoys me! He delights in me!

For the Lord your God…
will take delight in you with gladness.
With His love, He will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

Having that mindset — that God delights in me, that with His love He will calm all my fears, that He will rejoice over me with joyful songs — is a game changer! Instead of starting the day feeling overwhelmed, defeated, unsure, I can embrace the unknowns in my life and be confident that I’m not alone. That God not only is with me, but also is wanting to lead, guide, and protect me. Just like we, as earthly parents, wanted to do for our baby girl.

The challenge to thinking this way comes with keeping my mind and thoughts focused on my heavenly Father. Throughout the day, a gazillion things vie for my attention, trying to get my focus off of God and onto me, myself, and I. Sometimes I fail miserably. But I continue to keep learning the importance of quickly doing a mental reset to get my thoughts back on track.

Early mornings. Those precious moments when God eagerly looks forward to being with us. May we encourage one another to listen to His voice, to spend time in His Word, and to be transformed by living life knowing how much our Perfect Parent delights in us. And together, we can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”

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