He Has Made Me Glad

I feel sad today. It will be my Dad's birthday soon. I truly miss him.  I miss him everyday.  I miss the times when we were little... when Papa would wake us up and run after us.  My brothers and I would then race towards the dining table.  My mom was there preparing breakfast and we would all happily gobble up the food.  No camera captured that scene but I remember it vividly.  It was etched in my heart.  Precious memories.

My Mama and Papa separated when I was around seven years old and they both have different families now whom I dearly love.  I learned to accept how things are but the pain of separation lingers.  It is like my back pain.  It is just there.  I learned to live with it but it is just there.

This is not always what I feel.  But there are just days like these when I think of 'what could have beens'....days I feel "senti".

At times like this, I turn to my Father, the Great and loving One.  He knows my heart, my feelings, my pains.  He knows how to lift me up, ease the ache and make me smile once more.

"The Lord has done great things for them.
The Lord has done great things for us;
We are glad...
Those who sow in tears 
shall reap with joyful shouting.
He who goes to and fro weeping, 
carrying his bag of seed, 
shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, 
bringing his sheaves with him."
Psalm 126:3-6 (NASB) 

John Piper said sowing is simply the work that has to be done even when there are things in life that make us cry.  He said "... when you are full of sadness and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears.  Be realistic.  Say to your tears, 'Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life.  But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed..) I know you will wet my face several times today, but I have work to do and you will just have to go with me. I intend to take the bag of seeds and sow. If you come along, then you will just have to wet the rows". (http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/talking-to-your-tears)

At the end of the day, I would have to make the choice to continue living a joyful life.  My parents would never be reunited, problems would probably remain, conflicts would arise but God is still in His throne.  He has done great things for me and I will be glad. (Psalm 126:3).

I choose to be glad.

My Papa singing a song for us during my wedding
- created using Leaving a Legacy Designs'
FIND YOUR VOICE

----------------------------------

FIND YOUR VOICE
by Leaving A Legacy Designs
Click the photo to grab the kit

Make My Days Count

Quiet Time 05.10.13

     Psalm 39:4  "Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in your sight..."

    The father of my husband's office mate just died.  Just last week, my friend's mom suddenly collapsed and died instantly also.  How transient life is!  However hard we work, whatever things we do, everything will come to an end.  Life is too short in view of eternity that is why David asked in verse 7, "For what do I wait? My hope is in You".  

For what do you wait?

OTBDS Dreamseed
OTBDS week 9

"May we seek God that when we come to die, we may feel we have lived for something; that although our hope has rested alone in what Jesus did, yet we have not made that as an excuse for doing nothing ourselves. Though we shall have no good works in which to glory, yet may we bring forth fruit that shall be for the glory of the Lord ... Let us so live that when we die, we live on...." - Charles Spurgeon

Knowing You

This song by Graham Kendrick speaks of my heart's desire this 2013.

All I once held dear built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing you, Jesus knowing you
There is no greater thing
You're my all you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you ,lord

Now my heart's desire is to know you more
To be found in you, and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All surpassing gift of righteousness

Paul said in Phil. 3:7-10 "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death..."  NIV

Debra Anderson's A Midnight Mini

I want to know you more each day, Lord....there is no greater thing.