As Josh and I walk through life I have determined over the last few weeks to celebrate our journey together..... In God's word he teaches us "to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12. This scripture urges us to take account of how rapid life here on earth passes by & with that we may gain wisdom to live life appropriately..... Not to live for our time here on this earth but for eternity. Live our numbered days on earth loving & serving the Lord that our actions here make an eternal difference. Wow, what a different mind set we all would have if we reminded ourselves of this scripture daily.
We just recently celebrated 1 year of marriage, how fast those 12 months past by. What a wonderful year it was joining together as husband and wife & navigating through this crazy world together. You see, as wonderful as our first year of marriage was, we also had trials & obstacles. There have been tears, frustration, worry, anger, but at the heart of it all we have HOPE & LOVE. Life doesn't always go as you planned.... which reminds me of why in the world I tried to plan it in the first place. He is in control. "All the days you ORDAINED for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16.
I have realized through my adult years of one misperception I feel we all have asked ourselves & God at some point. "Why do bad things happen to good people??" But who is defining what is good and what is bad....?? You see some people (myself at one point in my life) view God as this judgmental tyrant that punishes you with "bad circumstances" to pay for your sin..... REALLY?? If this was/is the case then why did Jesus have to die on the cross?? He was bruised, beaten, mocked, & nailed to the cross for our sins..... HE PAID the price once and for all. There is no condemnation in Christ.
Even during the days when Jesus walked the earth people assumed that suffering was linked to something you did wrong. "As Jesus went on His way, He saw a man who had been born blind. His followers asked Him, "Teacher, whose sin made this man to be born blind? Was it the sin of this man or the sin of his parents?" Jesus answered, "The sin of this man or the sin of his parents DID NOT make him to be born blind. He was born blind so the work of God would would be seen in him." John 9:1-3. This is faulty theology, we all fall short daily to the glory of God because we are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. But we can find FREEDOM in Jesus and through our sufferings grow spiritually closer to Him.
As you build a personal relationship with God and fall more in love with Him it doesn't mean you will skip through life without any problems. But with a foundation built on Christ you can begin to find JOY in the midst of heartache. Every step of life, happy or sad, God has ordained it to shape & mold us into the children of God we were created to be! "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, NOT LACKING IN ANYTHING." James 1:2-4. Not in our own flesh are we able to dig deep and find joy in the middle of life's terrible heartaches, it is with His love and our faith that we can HOPE in the days ahead.
Life has thrown us a gutting wrenching punch in the stomach.... nothing I ever expected would "happen to us" but through much prayer & trust I CHOOSE JOY! Doesn't mean I don't have moments where other emotions come alive full force but I trust in the days God has ordained for our life. And with that I have peace that I am NOT in control..... I never really was in the first place!!! I am eternally grateful to have a man who loves God to walk through this beside me. I choose to be full of joy & celebrate our journey together.
