Joy to MY World

We love King David (of the Bible).  We relate to his ups and downs so much.  I guess we all do, don't we?  Though he was a king, he was just like all of us in so many ways.  If you read through the psalms, you get a picture of what his life was like - many highs, praising God and how wonderful He is and then in the next psalm he's sharing his woes, his many afflictions, begging God to help him out of the miry pit.

That's kind of how it's been over the last week - so many things to be thankful for, but then our humanness gets in the way and that discouragement sets in.  We're grateful for the psalms especially at those times as it shows us it is normal to feel the ups and downs we feel.  The thing about David and his times of discouragement, however, is that they always end on a note of praise to God, always showing how we must remain dependent on him. 

I have learned over the last few years in particular the best way to find joy is through gratefulness.  So here is my "Top Ten Things I'm Grateful For List".  I should add that we were feeling more discouraged than usual this week for some reason.  It was as if God reached down and tried to show us he was there through it all....just read all the cool things that happened!


1.  I got a beautiful piece of jewellery in the mail from my maid of honour as a gesture out of the blue reminding me of her friendship - not for Christmas or my birthday, just because (she has no idea I'm even doing this blog!)

2.  I got flowers delivered this week from another friend (who gets flowers delivered to them nowadays!?) just to encourage me and thank me for our family's friendship.  Crazy.  I can still smell them days later.

3.  RM got an unexpected payment for some hay this week just after he paid a different unexpected bill.  That was definitely a blessing.

4.  We were able to enjoy a free "Walk to Bethlehem" a church nearby puts on that always puts us into the Christmas spirit.

5.  We've been able to set up a skating rink on our property that feels free as we bought all the supplies last year but never did it as it was so warm.  This year it looks like we'll actually use it!

6.  We enjoyed fun cousin birthday celebrations for next-to-nothing, by just being in each other's homes eating cookies and popcorn!

7.  Oh my goodness - I almost forgot.......our cat had kittens!!  Five of them!  They are so cute!!!!  What kid does not LOOOOOOVE kittens!  It's almost like getting five new toys that don't require batteries FOR FREE!  And, they get to stay with us for at least 6 weeks AND they're already all spoken for (that never happens!).

8.  We enjoyed a fun Christmas party with another family and exchanged homemade gifts with the kids.

9.  I had a fun reunion with an old friend from the town we came from.

10.  I had a very weird freak accident a couple of days ago in the kitchen where I completely wiped out, twisting my ankle while holding a very sharp blade - other than a couple of minutes of having a sore ankle, nothing else happened, though I distinctly remember seeing the blade come toward my head as I fell, but it never hit me and I was fine.  What was I protected from?  I don't even want to think about it.


What a week!  Well, it seems to me like we're doing ok though, doesn't it?  It seems to me like memories are being created daily, without much effort, and we didn't set foot on a plane.  It seems to me we're being provided for by a God who knew back in the summer when we were haying that we would need that money later in the winter.  It seems to me that we're still enjoying the whole Christmas season, even moreso this year and very little money is being spent.  It seems to me we're all being protected from who knows what all the time!

Here's the joy factor....I sang Joy to the World this past Sunday and I suddenly noticed verse 3 - I'd never really paid much attention to it.  Isn't that the way it is with Christmas carols?  We sing them year after year and sometimes we don't even realize what we are singing anymore.  Perhaps my spiritual awareness was piqued this year because of what we are going through - read these lyrics and see if they jump out at you, too -

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as, the curse is found

I felt like it was the Lord speaking to me - "No more....do you hear me?"  God said.  "Do not let sin or sorrows grow in your life anymore.  Don't let thorns, or debt, infest the ground."  Wow.  He went on, "I've come to make blessings flow!  As far as the curse is found!"  It was a neat moment, all by myself as I stood there in the pew.  It was a gentle rebuke -  we'd allowed thorns to infest our ground which really does make sorrows grow and certainly does not let joy grow.  God was saying to me, "There is a better way."  His blessings always were flowing into our lives, but it does seem to me that we were, or thorns we'd let grow, in the way a bit.  I somehow doubt Isaac Watts was speaking about this in particular when he wrote it, but who knows - when you go back into the history of so many of the hymns and carols, so often the writers were in tremendous debt!  Apparently, according to a book I have, it is based on Psalm 98 which brings it all back to relating to King David, it seems, who was probably the first Christmas carol writer.  Watts wrote the song knowing the real reason for shouting for joy - the Messiah had come. 

Reflection is a great way of finding joy and getting through those tougher moments.  Writing it out is even better as now I will have no excuses when the discouragement tries to find its way back into my head.

Watch out for those sneaky verses in the Christmas carols this year!  I bet you'll see them now, too.  God has a way of opening our eyes when we ask him to show us new and wonderful truths in the common everyday things around us.