Always Abounding in Joy...

Truly, in sorrow there is still joy when one knows JESUS. I have walked that journey through life, with God teaching me how to be joyful in the presence of sorrow. The flesh recoils from putting on a smile when the heart is crying, and it is no lie to smile like that when your heart is sobbing, if you are smiling the smile of Jesus for another who is hurting and needy. Because there is a Savior, a Redeemer whose life is greater than my own sinful self. He calls me to come higher and work His work, and miraculously, in the process of obedience, comes all the help for meeting my needs in ways I never could imagine!

on a hike in Texas...

A few months ago, I was privileged to visit with a friend after church. Her life was spiraling 'out of control' and had her 'panting for rest'. I listened and as I heard her heart, there came into my own heart a deep conviction that I should pray with her (God has been teaching me alot about prayer the past few months). I asked her if she would like to pray together, and she immediately agreed. So we went to a quiet spot in our old church building, and knelt upon the well-worn hardwood floor that has been walked upon by hundreds of feet over the years. What happened next is something I will carry in my heart the rest of my life...two sisters from very different backgrounds (one Pentecostal Ukranian and one conservative Mennonite) praying in unison...one in Ukranian and one in English, laying our burdens at His feet. What a blessed experience, made even more blessed because you see, that very morning I was very weighed down myself with some cares that were extra perplexing, unmet hopes, unreached dreams, and God met the need of my own heart through ministering to another. She had no idea the turmoil that was going on in my own  heart, but God knew, and He found a way to call me to minister and be ministered to at the same time! What a mighty God we serve!

I am always inspired by the accounts of others lives, both past and present. Have any of you ever read  the book, "A Song for Your Honor"? A powerful story of loss and God's provision in the midst of some very trying, seemingly arbitrary circumstances. The link in this paragraph is a blog post written about the mother in the book, by her daughter. It inspired me to go forth and live life joyfully in spite of sorrow
. Perhaps it will inspire you, too.

Let's go forth and rejoice in the hope of eternal life. One day, we will leave this old sin-cursed earth behind for a land of fadeless day, where no more sorrow can dismay. Jesus will be there and we will worship at His feet forever.