Chapter Nine Thoughts

Oh sweet joy.  My word for last year was JOY, and God revealed many things to me as I read and studied about joy.  Chapter 9 peeled away many more layers of understanding joy for me.

"Awe ignites joy because it makes us bend the knee." 

"The humble live by joy."

~Ann Voskamp

Humility grows gratitude and gratitude yields abundant joy.  I love the mental and spiritual connections that Ann makes for us in this book and in particular this chapter.  Yes, Jesus gives us joy abundantly.  But there are days that I just didn't know how to get there...feeling overwhelmed by circumstances and sometimes just living in the "mundane and ordinary."

And I am learning the first step in everything is bending the knee.  Now I know how to get there....start with bending the knee...humbly letting go....receiving with open hand and leaving the hand open.  That is what I do....when I am overwhelmed, when my circumstances seem more than I can handle, when I want to put on my running shoes and just go away from the myriad of responsibilities and roles.  I start with bending the knee.  I have found myself on my knees.....at my children's bedsides, at my own bedside, in the shower as the tears flow and I pour out my heart to my heavenly Father for the lives of my friends with cancer, friends whose babies are in heaven, lost and hurting family and friends, in our schoolroom as I again realize that it is not by my own strength that I educate these precious ones with whom I have been entrusted, at church as God redeems and convicts and pours out His grace.  On my knees is where life and peace and this abundant joy is found.  Humbly laying it all before my precious Jesus.  He knows, oh how He knows....and loves me still.

Created: Reflections Part 4

Vision


We are created and designed for family.  We are made for marriage.  During the Leadership Intensive, Sally inspired us by presenting a portrait of what we are created for by God.  She shared Biblical truth about family and the purpose of marriage.  Family is the unit created to pass on righteousness and the purpose of marriage is to leave a family legacy. 

"A woman with a vision will accomplish great things." 

"Without a vision, you make decisions quickly and without intentionality." 

--Sally Clarkson

Vision:  n.   the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be

Sally shared that we live in a broken world, but we have the capacity to redeem, to build life, beauty and grace.  Marriage and family are about sharing life and leaving a legacy.  We tend to measure our lives by morality, but we need to be faith focused.  We need to release the power of the Holy Spirit in our children, and it is the Holy Spirit in their lives that will bring greatness. 

I am inspired to the core, in the depths of my heart, through the vision that Sally cast for what our families can be.  And being in her home, with her family and friends, seeing this vision lived out and the fruit that comes with time gave me hope.  Hope that trusting in God's plan, and intentionally living the vision He gives for my family will leave a legacy of faith and love.  We are to create a family culture and purpose and decide how our family is going to go out and bring light to the world.  Each family has a work to accomplish.  What is your family called to do?  How will your family bring God's kingdom to bear upon the earth?

God forgives, gives grace, redeems.....we need to bring this light to our children in this broken world.