Today I will choose JOY.........

This is the portrait my friend painted during the funeral.  Jodi knew Ryan since he was five.  She captured the swirl and vibrance of his life.  She will be offering posters at costs down the road.  I'll keep you posted.








The day of the Wake my sisters and I and my friend Susan were cramming in our car to go to the mall to get our toes done, yes, I know Ryan would have thought that was ridiculous, but we were in need of some pampering.  Ryan wasn't right about EVERYTHING!  :)  Anyway, one of my sisters had left her devotional, 'Jesus Calling', on the dashboard. I decided we all needed a bit of inspiration and opened it up to that day's devotion: "Trust me in every detail of your life.  Nothing is random in My kingdom.  Everything that happens fits into a pattern for good, to thoe who love me. Instead of trying to analyze the intricacies of the pattern, focus your energy on trusting Me and thanking Me at all times.  Nothing is wasted when you walk close to Me.  Even your mistakes and sins can be recycled into something good, through My transforming grace."  As you can imagine, when I was done reading there wasn't a dry eye in the car.  God heard my cry on the first day of my blog and affirmed me through this devotion that I was hearing Him and trusting Him as He planned.  He affirmed my heart.


A snippet of today's devotion said "I knew what I was doing when I divided time into twenty-four-hour segments.  I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time.  Do not worry about tomorrow or get  stuck in the past.  There is abundant Life in My Presence today."  Can you believe God's perfection?  How many of us needed to hear that today?  


I was sitting on the couch yesterday and looked up at the wall across from me.  On the wall hung my painting I did a couple months back when my family spent a night at 'Paint The Town' with some of our wonderful family friends.  I felt compelled that night to paint my heart, which often is..."Today I will choose joy!"  As I looked at the wall and read those words I was gripped with the reality of those words.  Those words would be harder to do than ever, and would be the primal cry of my heart for a very long time.  When pain and sorrow grip me, I will purpose to CHOOSE joy.  That does not mean I will not allow the feelings to wash over me.  But will CHOOSE not to let them consume me.  God's grace and joy will be my compass and my comfort.