Monday, January 29, 2018

Ode to Joy

Psalm 16: 11
"In your presence is fullness of joy"

Wow! It's been over 3 months since I sat down at this computer and wrote anything except a quick FB or IG post. Where did the time go? Was it truly full of joy for me and my family? Full?? No way! Were there joyous moments? Absolutely. I have to say that the busyness of settling my family into a new town with new schools and of course, starting at the end of October, the busyness of the holiday season, took it's toll on me. Mostly, though, the true drain for me, has been our new home. Here's a pic of what our new home looked like at the beginning of January...

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and this is what it looks like now...

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OK, you got me, it's the same picture. but truthfully, NOTHING has changed!

This house has truly been the albatross around my neck. It's the gift that keeps on giving. Just when I feel like I am going to move on in faith and hope, something else happens. We are now down another builder. I didn't share this with you before, but the last builder was to have us under roof  by the end of October, and we are still not under roof. The first week in January he packed up all of his things (unbeknownst to us) and left the job. No roof, no windows...certainly no joy here.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up (although some days my husband calls me "Debbie Downer"!), but it is certainly not what I had hoped and dreamed for, for my family (and of course myself!).

So, in the beginning of the year, in my devotionals, I was to pray about a word that would somehow define my year. And, the word that kept coming up for me was JOY. What??? JOY??? Yep, joy. Well, Lord, here I go. I am stepping out in faith today, and tomorrow, knowing that this year, there IS joy. That this year and beyond, the joy that I am seeking does not come from this acre lot and this unfinished house. It comes from You, Lord, just from You. The full verse in Psalm 16 is this,

" You show me the path of life;
 in your presence is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore"

Amen.