I am not sure that I wrote about joy before, but it now has a new meaning for me.  There was a segment on an old television show that was titled “That Was the Week That Was.”  They went over the week humously and it was fun.  My week that was, was not fun, but I still have the joy of Jesus down in my heart.  It is as choice.  I could cry and be upset or know that the Lord is with me and this will work out and even come to pass.

It started with a check I was supposed to get was never mailed because the lady in charge did not print it.  Then a policewoman stopped me because I turned left and it was an illegal turn.  I was praising God that I got out of the side street.  She did give me a warning.  Thank You, Lord.

The pool people were out to get my above ground pool going before the leaves fall.  Two days they came and we found leaks when we tried to fill the pool to cover the skimmer.  They were repaired.  However, sometime Tuesday evening the whole side of the pool gave out and all the water went down the driveway.  The pool men were back to measure the damage and take it down.

While this was happening I got stung by a wasp.  He and all his relatives were in the top of my screen door frame.  I cleaned three nests and many squatters out of the area in two days.  More animal squatters now in my house.  Hopefully only one mouse, but my friends are telling me they come in twos and have lots of babies.  I cleaned that mess out of the kitchen bar cabinet and got Decon and traps set.

My daughter and her husband came to set the traps since I am not strong enough to hold the killer bar with one hand and set it with the other.  Nothing yet, but I have to find places for the things that were in my cabinet.

But God has a plan for me and evidently it is this.  So then I accept it with His joy in my heart.  I can do this because of Jesus.  St. Paul is chained to jail guards far off in Rome writing to the Philippian church which is situated north of the Aegean Sea in Macedonia with Greek influence abounding.  He is encouraging the congregation to hang in there.  Don’t let anything mess with the Gospel.

He sends all the saints grace and peace from God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Dr. David Jeremiah preaching on this book gives seven points found in the first chapter of Philippians. 1. Conduct as a Christian, 2. Opportunity to witness, 3. Courage to stand up for the faith, 4. Integrity of character, 5. Grow in the Word, 6. Be filled with the Holy Spirit, 7. Perspective to help us to see life through prayer and His guidance.  When you do have that perspective you can’t help but take things as Paul is telling us he is doing while in terrible circumstances he (and we)  can have the joy of Jesus down in our hearts.

It is really odd the way some days come to pass.  I’m a list maker.  I try to get it all together every morning starting with prayer, and Bible.  Meds and allergy shots are next on the list followed by exercise and then a walk.  All the other necessary jobs for the day are added to the list in the order I would like them to get done.

But God has other ideas most of the time.  I got the prayer in early and talked a long time to the Lord.  Then a call came from a friend who needed special prayer for a daughter who needs encouragement.  It is a privilege to be asked to pray for someone.

I had a number of things that took me out of the house and into town.  The bank was first on the list.  Then a couple of stores and the hardware store.  I had a check that I was supposed to have the beginning of the week.  I kept checking on it and was told that it was mailed.  When I called again five days after the first encounter the lady in charge said  that she forgot to print the check.  So I picked it up.  Stores and then signing up for repairmen to come at the beginning of the week.

Nothing unusual.  I came home the way I came home for the many times before.  However, I hadn’t been that way for months.  A turnabout was put in the town and I used it though I don’t like those traffic ways.  So I tried to dodge it and went the way I used to go.  I made a left turn and was praising God that I got out with no traffic keeping me waiting.  Down the road about a mile a police car had the lights on and was rushing up behind me.  I pulled over for her to pass.  Well, she didn’t pass.  She pulled up behind me.

I didn’t pay attention to the new signs on the shortcut I took to evade the turnabout.  I turned left and went my merry way.  The policewoman explained that there was not a left turn at that corner any longer  She gave me a warning.  Thank you to the Lord and to the officer.  The Lord reminded me that we are to be watchful, alert, stay on guard, and don’t be asleep on the job; be aware of the devil’s wiles.  Persevere.  Jesus is our example.  He was ever watchful all the way to the Cross.  Now He is still aware of our every moment.  He lives to make intercession for us before the Father.  Trust Him.

Listening to Dr. David Jeremiah this morning really got me thinking about being merry.  Proverbs 17:22 says that A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.  I know how both situations feel.  Yesterday I had enough of what I thought was not right.  I was really getting that self pity feeling taking me over.

But God, (two of my favorite words) tapped me on the shoulder and He asked me what the problem is.  It was all I expected other people to do everything I expected of them.  Well, that is now how it works.  People, of which I am one, are not perfect.  God made them perfect, but they couldn’t leave it alone and go along with God’s perfect plan.  He  pointed out to me what I do have from Him.  I don’t have to depend on people to make my heart merry.  He is already doing that.  He gave me Jesus.

Quoting Dr. Jeremiah, “…it takes God’s grace to live happily and harmoniously.  How vital to stay positive and cultivate a merry heart: the Bible says “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.” Proverbs 15:13.  Jesus is that merry heart.

Nothing is harder to face than a crabby face in the mirror.  It is even worse for the people you encounter.  I had a crabby face because I expected people to do for me what they said they would do and to do it perfectly.  That really opens the door to disappointment.

So the Lord showed me that it would not get anything I expected to be done to be done in my time and according to my will.  So the Holy Spirit led me to Dr. Jeremiah’s devotional closing: “A merry heart, a merry heart, it shines upon the face, and insures you a welcome at every time and place.” Mrs. A. Jones, a nineteenth century poet.

Good thinking.

Years ago I was in an evangelism program at my church.  We had to pair up to go out to visit people who visited our church.  The man I teamed up with was very good at presenting the Gospel.  After all the small talk he would ask the question to begin our presentation; “If you died tonight would you go to heaven? What would you answer when God asks you  “Why should I let you into My heaven?”  If they were not Christians they would answer that they were good and never murdered anyone.

Dick then said,  “There is one small word we have to deal with before we can know for sure that we will go to heaven.  That word is sin.”  He would hold his hand up and use his thumb and forefinger to make a small space showing how small the word sin is. Then he would go on to share the Gospel of what Jesus did and how the Holy Spirit leads us to faith.

I know that if you read my blog you know that I am a Christian.  I only went into this one small word title because now days we have an excuse for everything, but never say the word sin.  I am not one to lecture anyone about sin, but I do encourage (maybe lecture) on faith.

All the Bible study, Christian radio and TV, and of course. church made me realize that I need the reminder that sin is at the forefront of all this commotion that is going on in my life and in the whole world.  I have to ask forgiveness everyday for thoughts, words, and deeds that I offend God with on an hourly (maybe minute to minute) basis.  Genesis 1:1 ” In the beginning God…”to Revelation 22:21 “The grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with God’s people. Amen.” All the Books in the Bible take in all of this one small word and what to do about it.

I was staring out the window watching the school bus situating next door to pick up my special needs neighbor. As I was “wool gathering” out the window a humming bird came by and was feeding off my flowers.  I was so blessed by that.  I told you my milkweed plants have lots of butterflies taking advantage of them.  I was watching some of them putting their eggs in safe places.   I know some of the babies are out because they eat off the leaves and there are holes in many of the leaves.

I see those gifts from God all over the place.  I know I have raspberries in the backyard.  Birds all around and the butterflies.  The fireflies at night are fun to watch.  Did you know there is a place in the Smoky Mountains that the fireflies congregate once a year to do their mating dance?  My friend told me that she and her daughter went there to see it.  I looked online and it was fabulous.  In person it has to be something.  Synchronized Fireflies.com if you want to look it up.  The pictures are beautiful and almost unbelievable.

God has made so many wonderful things for us to share with Him and each other.  Just watching the leaves fill out on the trees and things  bloom in their time is fascinating.  I really liked cutting the grass because I could sing at the top of my lungs and smell the fresh cut grass.  Just being outdoors to be surrounded by God’s glory is a blessing.

We, grandmothers, know how much life there is all around us.  Grandchildren are so special.  When we see them growing we can hold them close and hug them all we want.  However, mine are all grown.  Though I don’t see them enough when I do I hug and kiss them till they want to escape.

This is how thinking goes.  You start on one thing and it leads to another.  It reminds you of something or a humming bird shows up and you are off in another direction.  Stop and smell the roses is an old saying, but it is true.  Sometimes you have to look for those beautiful things you hurry by most of the time.  Solomon says that there is a time for everything.  Maybe now is your time to think.  The Bible says that seasons come and go, seed time and harvest.  Don’t let them pass you by.  Stop and think.

Do you remember the TV show “Touched By An Angel?”  Since there aren’t too many   programs on TV that I want to watch,  I have been watching old Tv shows, one the aforementioned “TBAA.”   Each program has a simple message, “God loves you.”  It seems to change the person receiving the message so that they can face whatever situation they were in.

If only it was so easy.  From God’s vantage point it is so easy.  We just have to believe it.  All the things in the Bible lead to how much God loves us.  Not just Jews and Christians, but all people.

Jesus came bringing a new and living way.  He went through all the temptations and hardships that we face.  From Genesis through Revelation there is a Scarlet Thread running through the Bible that connects every book with Jesus.  It all leads to Him.    I bought this up because the TV show reminded me that people in all walks of life belong to God.  No matter what you are facing you are not alone.

From the most vile act people can do to the most honorable person we can think of God is in control and no one is alone.  He is with everyone.  No one can escape His oversight.  This should encourage all of us to trust Him no matter what we are going through.  When St. Paul tells us to rejoice he writes that from prison.  Joy deep inside our beings comes from faith in Jesus Christ.  God loves you.  No doubt, no sin, no thing visible or invisible can take that from us.