Monday, December 3, 2012

Joy and Courage

I like to write, I like to share my thoughts on here and honestly I like to get feedback.  Maybe it is because I am living with my husband as the only westerners in a city of 5 million and I want some kinda of camaraderie that comes from this blog, or maybe I just like attention...  Anyways, there are times when blog posts or ideas float around in my head for awhile.  They are usually about what I am learning at the time.

This is one of those posts.  It has taken me a long time to write because although I hope I am learning these things, I am a slow learner which leads me to think I am not actually learning.  I don't want to be a fraud or a fake, but then I thought, "we are all walking and stumbling and trying again, that is why Jesus is so beautiful and grace is so amazing."

There are two words that I have been praying over my life right now.  I've never really done that before, but these words keep coming up in my mind and so I think it is most likely from God.  I also find the opposite of these two words chasing after me, so the best thing I know to do is either pray or eat chocolate and cry.  Sometimes, I do both or all three.

I long to be full of two things right now:

Joy and Courage

Joy and Courage

Joy and Courage

Still working out what that means everyday.  How do you live with joy when things don't go the way you planned or expected?  How do you live with joy when people around you are suffering and hopeless?  What does it mean to be full of courage?  How do you walk in courage and humility?

These are the things floating around in my head and heart.  These are the things God is working out in me.  I wish I could wrap this blog up with a nice ending, but there is no ending right now.  We are in the waiting...in the learning...and that is an okay place to be.

Come, Lord Jesus and bring your Kingdom!

PS:  I wish I had some cool art work to hang on my walls with the words Joy and Courage.  Any ideas?

6 comments:

  1. Enjoy your blog and praying for you!
    Amy and Jeff

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  2. Take heart. Galatians 6 talks about carrying your burdens, and those of others. God is forming your heart for the people- by exposing you to their same burdens. Poverty, violence, lack of education... so that the kingdom will come within you, then overflow into your neighbors lives. you cant have one without the other. stay true, and galatians 6:9 will become true in your life! C

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  3. Hey!!!! I will be praying these 2 words over you :) And....... do you guys have a way to print stuff out over there? I could always design something for you to print out and you can hang! Love you bunches!

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    1. Thanks for praying! Wish we could hang out w y'all. We can print stuff here, that would be so awesome if you designed something!! Makes me excited :)

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  4. I'll pray that for you! I'm inspired by your courage already :) India isn't for the faint of heart. And, in Thailand, Susan and I had "art therapy" where we found lovely pics on the internet and tried to recreate them with oil pastels (they're kind of like crayons, but when you smear them with your finger after you color them they look kind of like paint). We enjoyed it and the "art" on our walls made us happy! If you're interested, message me how to get some to you and I'd be happy to! Also, I read Amy Carmicheal's "You are my hiding place" in India and it really challenged me to try to find joy in many circumstances. I'd be happy to send that, too, if you haven't read it. Thanks for sharing what God's doing in your heart!

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  5. It is always an encouragement to read this. reading this and the "Thankfulness" post causes me to be more thankful and look to Jesus more and more! Count it a joy that even though the harvest is such hard work there, you are inspiring workers here! May those workers see Him as worthy to join yall in support, prayer, or God willing in INDIA!!
    Last night Andy Campman spoke for the last lesson at perspectives. Was a real blessing to hear him and exciting to think about steps to take in the future about going somewhere, somehow. But he told us about his favorite parable that should describe our lives as christians in Matthew 13 about the man who sells all he has to buy the field containing the treasure, and he counted it a Joy to do this! Hoping and praying that God will wake yall up each day and the spirit will remind yall of the joy of knowing Jesus, the joy you had in preparation to go to India, and the joy you have seeing your neighbors smile and eating food with you!
    May your joy be rooted in Jesus, but be added to by the small pleasures and snapshots of hope!

    love yall

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