A Joyful Heart

When my husband and I purchased our first home we knew that someday we would want something bigger as our family grew. After our first child was born we decided to purchase land in hopes of building a new house one day. Four years after purchasing our land we put the only home our small children had ever known on the market and within three months were looking for a new place to live. Instead of buying another home we decided to move forward with our dreams of building and moved our family of four, with one on the way, into a rental house close to where we would be building. After living one year in the rental home and six months with family, our house was finished. Within a short two year span we moved three times and had a brand new baby in the middle of it all. I felt like a nomad for two years, never wanting to settle ourselves because I knew we would only be moving again. For a woman who enjoys to "nest" this was extremely difficult. I've heard that the three most stressful events in a person's life are death, birth of a new child and moving. To say that I was stressed might have been an understatement. Most days I felt weary and defeated wondering if our lives would ever be simple again. I wondered if we would ever be organized. I felt as though I was missing out on important childhood memories for my children because I was so fixated in the details of building a house. I cannot describe the feeling I had when we finally were able to move into our new home. This home had been a distant dream in the background of our minds for almost 6 years and we had such joyful hearts when it was completed! Looking back it seems like such a silly thing to be stressed over really. God had provided for all of our needs and more than that, He was blessing us immensely by growing our family and always providing a place to live. There were days I was ashamed of feeling anything less than grateful. God didn't want my joyful heart only after getting what I wanted, He wanted me to be joyful during it all, experiencing the life He had given me! God used the entire experience of those six years to draw me closer to Him. He taught me lessons in patience, self control and being joyful. Although my husband and I did not wander around a desert for 40 years, the past 6 years reminded me that some days I had the attitude of the Israelites. God loves the Israelites, they are His chosen people; however, you often find yourselves wondering why they are worthy of such a great love. How are any of us worthy? They were constantly complaining while they were in the desert. Not only that, but they continuely had to be reminded to love the Lord their God! God doesn't want us to complain any more than you like hearing your own child or others complain. What He DOES want is for you to trust and know He has whatever is going on in your life in the palm of His hands. Although you can't see the end result, you CAN be joyful in the things you can see! The Israelites were getting ready to enter into the land of milk and honey! They might not have been able to see that land yet but they could look back and see how God delivered them out of Egypt, fed them and gave them water when they were thirsty. Philippians 4:4 tells us "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." This doesn't say to rejoice when you finally get the things you've been asking for, we are to rejoice always! Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I shout for joy to You, I worship You with gladness and come before You with joyful songs! I know that you are Lord, the God who made me and I am yours! I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise! I give thanks to You Lord for You are good and Your love endures forever! Your faithfulness continues through all generations! No matter what the day might bring, I ask for your unending help to remain joyful. Fill me with Your joy through Your Holy Spirit, Lord, and renew in me a joyful heart! In Jesus name, Amen!