COME ON IN

When my kids were little, we be like driving along always listening to some children's CD. Yes, a CD. Some youth may wonder what that is, it dates us! Anywho! 

The CD: Mom I have lost my joy. The mom, "really what's going on? When is the last time you saw her?" The boy, "That's it I just don't know." The sister interrupts, "Mom do you think he is talking about the cat, Joy?" Yes, the mother responds! The girl, "No, mom we are talking about his true "Joy"! To which the mother responds with a giggle, "I know how to get it back."

...weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning -Psalm 30:5

We all burst out in song....We got that Joy, Joy, Joy...down in our heart! 

The children's tune comes across loud and clear. Choose Joy! You can't get your joy by naming your cat or dog joy, you can't perform better and get joy! But you can keep knowing God's truth about joy and find inner joy. Looking at the words and receiving their meaning. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit-Romans 15:13

Trust in Him brings us inner Holy Spirit led joy!

You maybe asking why are you writing this Elaine?

Let me explain:

On December 24, 2020, laying in bed I recounting my past days to prepare for Christmas...the word joy is appearing frequently. This happens annually where I where I begin to see a word for the new year to be my focus, last years was Light. It is funny it starts to appear. It takes me a moment to wake up and pay attention. Have you experienced that? You are sleeping and you begin to wake up and you are suddenly aware something is happening. Next, I pray God are you revealing something to me?

Let's see, you tell me...

I say to my husband...I need signage for the Christmas message to be real and I want to display it in front of the house. Like...MERRY CHRISTMAS. He comes home with "Joy". I am asleep on that one. "Okay", I sort of disappointedly say back to him. I I I I wanted, Merry Christmas! (sleeping then, awake now...I realize HE wanted JOY!)

Getting back to Dec. 24, I'm praying God confirm this, I keep seeing the word and I am not...honestly...convinced. Next, I open a new devotional I got at Salvation Army look up the date and the title of the devotion is, Come on In. It comes from John 15:11-I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your may be complete.

I count the word "JOY" in that small devotion eight times! You know at Christmas we always talk about, "Love coming down." At Christmas abundant "Joy" came down probably for the first time. In the life where we think we have everything in place and joy appears at Christmas...then it fades and we wonder why, "Why do I have family and the decorations and presents and suddenly I feel lonely?" True joy came in the lowly manger through the baby Jesus! How do you get that joy, we must declare, say "Yes", and shout, "Come on in, Jesus." He stands waiting. Joy comes when we hold out our hands and receive the greatest gift ever. Jesus!

I love that, so much so I am filled up to shout it out back to whoever wants to listen. I have found people giving me joy ornaments or verses jumping out with clarity. I even had a girl approach me at church asking, "What is your name, my name is Joy...can I pray for you?" God brought JOY to pray for me. Does He have a sense of humor, I hope so!

Let the Choose Joy, abundant joy, joy infilling beginning and continue through 2021. I will try to be diligent to document these sightings so my joy may be complete. 

I am already observing the Apostle Paul's greetings are frequently sprinkled with Joy, like in Philippians, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day. When I read that I ask myself questions and acknowledge some facts. Paul a leader, prays for his flock who he is called to, He prays with joy for them because they have a partnership in the gospel and the gospel is pivotal point for life. He delights when He thinks of them in prayer. Amazing! I delight when God brings leaders in my life who with Joy pray for us the flock.

I will post the pictures of my sightings recently so we can giggle together over God's delightful revelations. People post their joy sightings without knowing that I am on this "Choose Joy" journey.

May the God of all hope fill us with Joy in 2021, his joy is different than the world.

THE POSTMAN

The midday sun was blinding my eyes, yet, it was 32 degrees out. I delight in a walk where I can lift my face to heaven, relish the warmth and talk to God. I looked up and spotted a postman walking from a delivery at the neighbors door and he was limping.

I picked up my pace and asked with joy, "Is your ankle okay?" He said, "It's not my ankle it is my siatica!" Remembering the pain of my own siatica I declared, "Oh that can be so painful, what are you doing for it?" Calmly he said, "It will go away, I did some stretching and eating right (?, not sure how that helps, but oh, well)" I replied, "Icing it to death is the secret." To which he agreed he needs to go home and do that. 

As always a postman is in a hurry and I did not want to delay him in his work, I ended with, "I hope it gets better soon, I will pray it does", to which he just responded, "It will not last I did stretch." He seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea of prayer. He was cheerful and kind.

I promised a prayer so...Lord heal him...let him relate it to this incident and  lead him to a discovery of Jesus. Giggling with delight over the prayer...Lord make him a magnet to the things of Jesus. May Jesus sightings be everywhere...so much so that he will be like every since that lady said she would pray for me I keep hearing about prayer and Jesus. I pictured in my head...him running into all creative ways Jesus will get his attention. How this prayer will change his life. I am excited for him. I am not magical...I just believe in Jesus and the power of prayer. I trust God wants this more than I can imagine.

Before I knew it he passed me with a honk of his horn. 

Ask anything in my name and I will do it! John 14:14

Jesus go get him! Make him a magnet for you! Amen.

MARY DID YOU KNOW? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

 

Mary did you know (the song goes) that one day your baby will walk on water? "He will be the son of the most high", declares the angel of the Lord and "He will save the people from their sins!" When I read this, it was like I read it for the first time...slowly asking questions..who is He?, Why was He born and given to Mary?, Why should that matter to me? When I sought this answers many years back I saw the world and a reason to exist completely different. I got a new set of eyeglasses! My heart and soul seemed to sense a peace that I can't explain. You have to seek this for yourself. I recommend you pray and ask God, "Are you real? If so, please show me yourself" Then read Luke Chapter one, in your bible, youversion app, google or biblegateway on your phone. 

The song, MARY DID YOU KNOW, sung by Mark Lowry is great! 

Aww...you maybe irritated that the angel said and, "He shall save the people from their sins". Many years ago I had the same reaction, because I was a really good girl (in my eyes I was good) but I really looked at my heart and asked myself, "Are you saying you are perfect. In no need of change or help." No, I was not became my honest answer.

I was guided to look up the answers to life questions...why was I born...is there a God...do I have purpose...why do I feel empty, like something is missing?

Mary lived out what was written in a book over two thousand years ago. She did not have all the answers, yet, she said yes to the plan foretold by the angel of the Lord. We have the book and the answers...SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Dear God, help me to find meaning and new life. Amen. Thank you in advance.

Christmas is a time where the word,  BELIEVE, started 

YOU TELL ME

 Do you ever wonder if you made the right decision? You know have a true sign, like yes! Sometimes we step out in faith, looking for that peace we pray for or sometimes we just clearly see it's the right thing to do.

I'll explain.

In the cold vortex winter in February 2019 (I live in Chicago area) we got the call a offer was made on our house. We excepted the offer and began question will this really be the buyer? Where do we go? I had refused to look. We had looked for two years while our house would not sell. You begin to ask yourself, why put an offer on a house if you house is not selling? 

My son looks up houses in an area we didn't even consider in the two year process. We pray. Houses come up with criteria that we would like this time around. We drive by just a few, after all it's freezing out and did I mention I am in a medical boot for a torn tendon in my ankle? 

On that day we looked my husband decides instead of looking at the current listings why not go back a bit in the listings, and then one house popped up with our criteria. As we read through it, yes, it has this and that, check check check. Crazy! At the moment I was tired of even thinking about it and said to God really are you going to make this easy for us. This long journey...look at a couple of houses and buy. Not even knowing all of the neighborhoods. You know not doing alot of research or homework. Would that be dumb? Dumb as it was to the natural eyes of house buying people, we looked at the house and bought it!

I'm going to fast forward to now quarantine 2020, I'm outside and meet a neighbor, the conversation of where did we come from, what brings us here...blah, blah, blah. She talks about the things she does, like fundraising for the fine arts center down my block, which I already signed up for classes at. Can you believe I can ride my bike there? The most revealing part of our conversation was she mentions have you heard that around here we get quite of few sandhill cranes. I thought what? I love sandhill cranes! If you know in the past 3 years its my greatest adventure to go to Nebraska during March to see the mass migration of sandhill cranes. I'm like wow! 

I continue down the block on my walk and come to the intersection Crane Rd. and Crane St. Do you every pass by or see something daily and never really think about what you are seeing? WELL, that is what I did? For one year living in this neighborhood I never ever questioned why the main road I have to take to get to my street is called "CRANE RD."! Why? Because that area sees CRANES! Walking distance from my house is Primrose Farm and that land sights Sandhill cranes quite frequently!

This revelation was like duh, hit yourself on the forehead! What the...

So the other day driving I saw them! I posted pic below. This is crazy, I stopped and observed and videoed and screamed with delight! Is it safe to say this was the confirmation I needed that we are certainly in the right place. A for such a time is this moment. This is where God has placed us!

YOU TELL ME!

I always like the Ferris Bueller saying, "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Is that a statement I could find in the bible? The bible has this verse, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul  Mark 8:36 NIV? This is my favorite question in the bible!

If we don't stop and look around at who God is and why that matters for now and eternity...we miss a great part of ourselves, which is our soul! Understanding and wisdom is lost. What's the purpose!

Do you have just pause to ask such an important question?

To emphasize the point I'm making is in life a sign could be right in front of our faces and we could miss it because we don't stop, pause and ask important questions! In my case, why is the street named Crane? It was a great question to ask because it points directly to my prayer in February of 2020, "Lord will you make moving this easy for me? Make it clear."

YOU TELL ME!

Let's pray:

God life does move pretty fast let me not miss the important that you are trying to point out to me. Amen.

Another similar statement in the bible that confirms with what I'm saying, "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring, What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:14 ESV"