The Sweetest Joy

I know I’m totally falling down on the job with 31 days. I’m pretty much okay with that, though. I’ve had the best reason in the world for being offline. One of my dear friends, who has longed for a child for oh-so-long, has finally had her dreams come true. I got to visit, and it was so sweet to be able to share in that joy.

And it reminded me of the joyful birth of my own little one. We struggled for years, and in His plan, God blessed us with our much-loved son. As those who have spent much time with children know, they are hard work. And yet, there is such a joy to having little ones. My little boy is quite small, but even now, the joy of getting to be his mother and of seeing some part of God’s working in his life makes me happy. And it’s not a fleeting happiness. That deep and abiding joy carries me through the tough times, the crying fits, the “I don’t want to eat” days and all the rest.

And so it is, on an infinitely larger scale, with Christ. Our joy in Him and God’s love for us is abiding and deep. Even on the not-so-happy days of our lives, that joy remains. Even in the depths of difficult times, that joy runs underneath it all just like the promise from which it comes.
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This was written in 5 minutes with the folks at 5 minute Fridays.

Patience to Walk the Road

For as much life as I remember, I’ve heard patience called a virtue. Yet, it’s a tough one for me.

It’s easy to say we want a closer walk with God, richer and deeper friendships, places to serve where we feel a sense of purpose. The hard part of wanting them NOW.

There’s a reason why the old joke showing a person praying, “Give me patience, now!” makes us chuckle. It’s totally cliched, but it’s also uncomfortable in its truth. We want to be sanctified, but we want it now, without a struggle.

And yet I’m learning that some of the best things in life take time. Marriage deepens day by day, and that relationship builds and strengthens with time and work. God has plans for us, but He also has His timing for when things will happen.

My husband and I struggled with infertility for years, and I’ll confess that I did not always bear this patiently. Wanting a little one so desperately, and praying over that hope for a long time wears at one. However, it also draws one closer to God. When I look back now, I see that the road to the family I have today was long and sometimes very hard, but with hindsight, I can see the lessons God taught me. And yes, the patience that He pushed me to develop which I definitely did not have even a few years ago.

We may need patience to walk down those long roads, but remember that we never go it alone.
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Blogged in 5 minutes with the Write 31 Days community.