Find your joy!

There are so many things for us to be joyful of. So why does it seem we are constantly chasing joy? How do we lose our joy? I was given a chance to be a part of the book launch team, and had the opportunity to receive an advance copy of the book to read and review. Since I have been a fan of her blog for quite some time, this was very exciting to me! The book? Women Living Well: Find Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids, and Your Home.

I have always found the Women Living Well sight to be filled with encouragement, inspiration and real life down to earth experiences most any of us ladies can relate to.

 

This book was no less challenging, or inspiring, than all I have read online. I consider, as I read, today’s vision of women compared to that of God’s word. How important it is to soak in His word every. day. No matter the obstacles that come our way we must soak in His word. There are many suggestions within too as to how that can be done. Create calm moments. I laugh as I read that – as we homeschool our three very loud, very active kiddos (and hubby wants one more! oh my! teehee) I ponder what calm could be in our home. For me anyway. I think often, to find that calm, I find myself sneaking away while they play to read and pray….until they find me. 😛 Its a challenge. But let us never. stop. seeking. Him.

Marriage. Parenting. Homemaking. I did not grow up in a Christian home. I have no background in raising children for Christ; keeping a home is something that I am learning is a deep and all encompassing thing (I thought it meant clean but as I read – its so much more!) And marriage? I have always considered my husband and I to be in a good place. We do not get nearly enough one on one time right now but with smaller ones you cannot ask for too much. They get big fast so we have to enjoy this now. We do have our date night at least once a month; we talk, well I do, in bed at night (I think my talking is what puts hime to sleep sometimes).

As Courtney says, “To a modern woman of today’s culture, Christian marriages may look as though they are caught in a time warp. We cannot expect those who do not believe in God’s Word to understand” (p. 68). Reading each chapter there was so much that just made me shout “AMEN” ( to my daughters amusement). Times are different; life is hard. But we need to remember to slow down. We need to remember to get with God; let us never neglect either fasting and prayer as we seek to draw nearer to God.

 

If you need to slow down, just find your joy, or get a bit more encouragement being that Help Meet you were made to be, this is a wonderful read. And let us be full of discernment; whose voice shall we hear? Who shall we follow? Its too easy to get up and play online; chat on facebook….these are all distractions. They do not feed our soul; they do not allow us to grow in Godliness.  You shall see no fruits (although I consider facebook to be a ministry truly – all things in moderation – no thing can take the place of Him. In all the insanity we read and hear about around the world; the sorrows and the violence, now is not the time for us to be playing games or becoming complacent in our walk with God.  There are things and folks that are and will be shaken; tested and stirred up. Let us be ready. Together. Strong in the faith and with a foundation that we know cannot be shaken.  We all need to be, one to another, lifting each other up – edifying and teaching and encouraging. For sure the job we have been given is not for those faint of heart.

May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!