Thursday, September 30, 2010

Joy in the Journey

First off.....thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers, phone calls, visits, meals, love, and concern during this difficult trial. I can truly say that satan can never tell me again that "no one cares about you", because God has used all of you to show my family and I that there are people who really do care.
There have been so many changes in my life lately and I believe God is very clearly telling me to "Have Joy in the Journey". For those of you that knew me growing up I was always a relatively happy person. I always saw the best in everyone and everything. As I grew older life handed me some pretty rough blows. Then I got married and more responcibilities were heaped on my head. I started to realize that I had a slight problem when I would be bothered if all of the shampoo bottles were not facing the same way. I am not a perfectionist and my house is not always the tidiest, but I realized that little things were really starting to get to me that never use to. If I did not get some project done around the house I felt like a failure for the day.
Now fast forward to losing my brother. It really rocked my world. I still can not put into words everything that is going on in my heart and mind right now. One day I am having a conversation with him about "no I can not put a pig into my backyard" and the next day he was gone. Life is so fleeting. Moments, days, years slip away and we look back and say "where did time go?" I now have the answer to that question. We mourn the loss of time because when we look back we realize how life and time were marching on while we worried and fretted about the shampoo bottles not facing the same way, or how we have been working on the house for 4 years and it is STILL not done, or about money. Through God speaking through circumstances in my life and through 3 separate people in one evening speaking the same message to me I know God is extending grace to me one more time. There will always be more things to do around the house, laundry, dishes, etc. Why stress it? Why not have "Joy in the Journey"? I am not saying we should all let our houses fall apart or sell everything and live in a VW bus....although that idea does have some merit some times. =) I am simply saying why not just enjoy life? Make the projects fun, sing more, worry less, dance around the house with Adaliah, not do anything one day and just take the day to see the world through her eyes, spend more time in quiet time with the Creator of the heavens and earth. I can not say I will be perfect at this new path I am choosing to take, but when I stear off of the path I will work my way back to the joy in the journey. After all, I only get one shot at life. Enjoy the day and God bless you.

3 comments:

  1. wow stephanie.. i really enjoyed reading about your new outlook on life.. i long to be more like that as well; spending more time with the people i love n this life and worrying less about about unimportant things. knowing our like personalities i'm gonna say we may both struggle with needing order in the little things in life.. love ya.

    -katie k.

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  2. I'm so there with you, Stephanie. I'm not a perfectionist either, per se, but I do have my issues with the house always being picked up, etc. I'm trying... perhaps someday I'll have made the 180 degree turn!
    Still praying for you guys! God bless you on your new journey ;)

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  3. Katie~ I am glad you enjoyed my rambling thoughts. Its not easy to change is it? I think it is one day and one decision at a time. Love you too!

    Jeanie~ Kinda nice to know I am not the only one that struggles with this! Thanks so much for your prayers and your deck looks great!

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