Journey Back to Joy... Day 4 Help Someone Along the Way

Today is my dad's 70th birthday party.  If anyone's life deserves to be celebrated, it is my dad's.  When I think about my journey back to joy, it often takes me back to the people who have helped me along the way.  The person who has probably helped me the most is my dad.  Mom has a picture of me wearing my dad's shoes and hat when I was little.  It is the perfect representation of how he helped me, most of the time without even knowing it.  Following in his footsteps, dancing on his feet, trying to walk in his shoes, that is how he helped me.  Not every man is worthy of following, but my dad is.  Oh, not because he is perfect, or extra special, or rich or famous.  Well, he is to me, but mostly because he relies on his own Heavenly Father for strength and wisdom, and he reflects  His Heavenly Father's perfect love to me.  The kind of love that will do whatever it takes to provide for his family.  The kind of love that makes you feel unconditionally loved and accepted and like you are the most beautiful person in the whole world.  The kind of love that will come to your rescue when you've made big mistakes or simply wrecked a car or run out of gas.  The kind of love that knows how to fix things and pretty soon everything in your life feels put back together.  The kind of love that generously reaches out to family, friends, or neighbors needing help, scout kids needing leadership, foster kids needing a home, youth needing guidance, nursery kids needing patience, fellow sojourners needing shepherding, employees needing a boss with  intellect, insight, and integrity,  or fellow workers needing a friend.  The kind of love that gives a wife love, security, and confidence;  the fact is, my dad is a true gentleman.  Trusting God is easier because of this love that gives sons an example, a daughter encouragement and affirmation, and grandkids a hero.  Just hearing his voice on the phone with a promise for prayer inspires assurance that everything will be okay because God has it all under control.  The greatest birthday gift has already been given to my dad, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He has passed this greatest gift on to all of us and for that I am eternally grateful.  I guess the gift I can return is to simply keep following in His footsteps...one little step at a time, and when I see someone else struggling on life's path, to help them along the way.
I love you and I like you.
 Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Journey Back to Joy... Day 3 Heed the Holy Spirit

Sometimes the silence speaks louder than words.  It gets my attention anyway.  Waiting, enduring, wondering, and seeking...It is really a gift, that waiting room.  The longer, harder way, the road less traveled.  The journey that began with a single step, that will be followed by a million more and each one may or may not be confirmed by positive circumstances or affirmed by a single sign, but something inside you prompts you to keep going, even when other voices drown out the silence or start to make you question the still small voice that started it all.  Why is it that we are never quite ready when the wind begins to blow towards the next step.  So often I allow the fear of man to steal my God-confidence.  And then I remember that the voice of man is usually the loudest and the voice of God is most often a whisper.  The fear of man can keep me from heeding the still small voice of the Holy Spirit's guidance.  A trusting and obedient child has not learned the fear of man.  Their innocence has kept them blind to the hurt that man can and does inflict.  A child is quick to forgive and does not usually harbor bitterness by carrying the hurt with them because they want to believe and see only the best in others. 

At what point does the reality of the fallen nature disappoint and start to steal hope and rob joy?  God knows the age at which our innocence is lost and we are held accountable for our choices and actions.  When I was a young Mom, I would have sworn it was three.  But whatever the case, somewhere along the line we all face the ugly truth of this world.  It is a struggle.  It is harder than we imagined and our own sin is uglier than we realized.  The hardship is suppose to build character, but it seems like it is turning us into a hideous character.  The fire meant to refine feels more like it is burning and the steam building....Hurts collect like bruises on our souls and try to stifle the still small voice of hope.  And then, we want to turn on the still small voice and blame someone or something for our pain.  We don't want to own it or own up to it...And why do we have to struggle?!  Who came up with this plan?!  The waiting room, the struggle, the mirror of our hurt and pain forces us to make a choice.  Live or die?  Truth or lies?  Peace or anger?  Forgiveness or bitterness?  Contentment or jealousy?  Light or darkness?  Help or struggle?  Love or fear?   Choose you this day whom you will serve....Perfect love casts out fear...And what is love?  No greater love has man than this... but to lay down his life for his friend....for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...     It is a daily, moment by moment choice.... to obey or not to obey...to choose Love.  To choose true Joy.  To choose the God way or the highway, to say yes to the Holy Spirit despite the voice of man.  Even when it doesn't make sense, it makes sense to someone.   Help me Heed.

Journey Back to Joy... Day 2 Handle with Prayer

Isn’t that just like life?!  You finally get enough resolve and guts to take that risk and begin a journey towards something and then crash!!!! The first wave of conflict or that unexpected and unforeseen force of adversity and opposition hits and you wake up and find yourself far out to sea , miles off course from the journey you began and wondering if it is still worth it to keep going or whether you should turn back.  But, then something occurs to you.  Your little ship is still afloat.  It didn’t go down in the storm and that in itself is a miracle.  Someone or something kept you from drowning and gave you just enough strength to see the light of the next day.  But, now what?  It seems you are farther away than when you first began and not only that, but you have no idea where you are or how to get back on course.  So, you drift for awhile just enjoying the sunshine on your face and the rest and peace that comes from surrendering to your helplessness in your present circumstances.  Perhaps the wind will carry you back to some point of a recognizable landmark.  Perhaps stopping to refuel, regroup, and gather some more resources will recharge your sense of purpose and inspire you enough to try again…..like a map or a compass?!  And that brings you to the realization that you forgot the most important second step in this journey towards hope.  Handle with prayer.  If only you could just align yourself and your sails in the direction of the wind.  The wind would be more than enough power to push you forward and even make-up for the time that seems to be lost.  Now, if only you had enough patience to readjust those sails and wait for the right direction of the wind. 

Expect obstacles.  Holding back the forces of opposition is like trying to hold back the tide.  There is only One who can calm the storm, part the Red Sea, and get you to shore again...Jesus Christ.  His spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the wind that blows towards your destiny with Hope, but until you take the time to commune with him and allow His power and resources to fight through the waves and conquer the obstacles, you will keep drifting.  How did I do on this first leg of my journey?  The first step brought the first wave of fear, doubt, temptation, obstacles and opposition.  But, six days of drifting blew me back to shore so that I could refuel with His word, re-align my sails to His spirit, and prayerfully prepare for battle against the next round of waves.  This time I’m taking my surf board.  I might as well have fun on the ride.  In the words of my windy day childhood lake cabin memory… “Ride, ride, ride, the wild surf!”

Journey Back to Joy... Day 1 Head towards Hope

Hope...what is it?  A word so easily handed out, but hard to hold onto….Why?  Because in our fast food world of internet and instant replay, e-mail and e-bay, gone tomorrow, but here today, hope is not something that promises instant gratification.  It is more the “something worth having is something worth waiting for” kind of thing.  It was what kept the wandering Israelites from heading back to Egypt….It was what inspired Jochabed to send her babe down the Nile.  It enabled Joseph the strength to endure and eventually save a people from starvation, it rebuilt temples, and tore down walls.  It finished voyages and started new worlds, it has brought victories to battles and ended wars.  It has preserved what matters most in a throw away world and keeps the faint hearted from giving up.  So what is hope?  What good is it when the time on the clock is ticking and no answer is in sight?  What good is it when all seems to already be lost?  To me it is the simple belief that there is a Higher plan and purpose...that something good can come from something bad, and that something better is just around that bend in the road.  If hope has a name, and I believe it does, I would call it Jesus Christ.  The first step on my journey back to joy is to head in the right direction...and that is towards hope.  When Peter jumped out of the boat, his eyes were first focused on Christ.  When he lost sight of the Savior’s face, he began to sink.  I have done the same.  So many times I am guilty of losing sight of the Savior’s higher calling in my life and I look around as an adult who sees all the harsh realities of life, but forgets the wonder and faith of the child who still sees the face of His creator in the beauty of a flower.  WE see the weeds, but the child sees a garden.  We want to destroy and re-create our own order and understanding of the mess, but the child grabs a hold of the flower and blows a magical wish and waits to watch where the seeds might land.  Act on the faith of the child and take the weeds God has allowed and see them as flowers.  Pick them for His purposes, let the wind of His spirit blow their seeds where He may and wait for the garden to bloom.  You never know when and where there will be flowers. Perhaps its right where you are...even in the darkness of a prison cell or the midst of your pain.  Life’s joy journey is about dancing in the rain….Will you have this dance?