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The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!

"The Joy of the Lord is my strength. 

In the mountains, I’ll dance in the valleys I’ll sing, the joy of the Lord is my strength." this phrase is one of the many songs I sing daily. It never gets old and has a very special meaning to me.




God, I am here learning and using the gifts you have placed inside of me. Willing to step out and rise up to be the person you have called me to be!


Do you know the gifts that God has placed inside of you? 
Do you actively walk them out in your daily life? 

    As mothers, we set aside our passions and desires as we step into motherhood we stuff it in the back of the closet behind the winter clothes. In reality, we are stepping into a greater calling that God has for our life!  But this doesn't mean we are unable to walk in the gifting He has placed inside of us. Holy Spirit I ask right now would you start to reveal the many gifts you have placed in each one of my friends reading this!


Humor me...

    Imagine God saying this to me, “Anna, you no longer need to bless people with baked goods. you no longer need to read books and grow or serve your community. You must stop all the extras in your life and focus on raising the children I have entrusted you with. No more thinking about others, and finding joy in giving to the people I have placed around you.” 


Convincing? Ha! NO!!


This was a lie that I believed a few years ago when I started my motherhood journey.


    No, I don’t believe God is telling us to put our gifts or passions on the back burner while we are in the “child-raising” phase of life. Let me clear something up. If you are reading this and you aren’t a mother… keep reading! I am sure that this principle will hit home in some area of your life!  I believe God is giving us “God Ideas” to walk in our gifts He placed inside of us! If I choose to continually learn about the gifts He has given me. I wholeheartedly believe He will use me while walking in my purpose.  I find joy in the fact that I don’t have to place my life on hold while I walk through motherhood! How does one do this without going crazy and always being busy? 


Simple…


    Sit down and think about two things that you did before you had kids. Decide if you are still passionate about those things. Take one small step every day. If you find that it doesn’t bring you joy go ahead and try something else, but what’s so important is taking one small step daily, it’s all about rediscovering joy. 


    Reading, baking, cooking, quilting, scrapbooking, and more! I know my capacity and I know that if I overdo it then I will lose interest and it wouldn’t be a passion anymore, it would be an obligation. It’s important when you are rediscovering the things that bring you joy that the right mindset is in place when you are doing them. “God I thank you for the opportunity to explore my gifts and passions!” I have to continually remind myself that He gives everyone a different gift and passion, therefore releasing me from comparing myself to you. There’s something so freeing in that statement that because we are different, I don’t even need to think about comparing myself to you!


A question I am asked frequently,  “How in the world do you manage your family, home responsibilities, writing, friendships, baking, and serving the church community?”


I reply with a song because if you know me in person I love breaking out in song and dance! Ha!



“The joy of the Lord is my strength

The joy of the Lord is my strength

In the darkness, I’ll dance

In the shadows, I’ll sing

The joy of the Lord is my strength”

The joy of the Lord is my strength by Rend Collective 

Writer(s): Gareth Andrew Gilkeson, Christopher Dean Llewellyn, Edmond Martin Cash

For the full song check it out here ----->   https://youtu.be/x3gLeCiMJqI 



The reason I can do anything is through his strength! I would not be able to do any of this in my “own” strength. Even writing this blog is through His strength. Because there is no way with my learning disabilities that I would be able to get what’s in my head and heart out on paper! “In the darkness, I’ll dance”, dancing in the dark doesn’t sound safe. Dancing in the dark requires trust and faith in the one who is leading you in the dance. What or who are you putting your hope in? I am not a “dancer” by any means, ask my husband, he has seen too many dance parties in the kitchen!  Dancing in the darkness is something that I get to work on for the rest of my life until Jesus takes me to my forever home with Him.

Over the past few months, I have been intentionally aware of my joy there were times when something was stealing my joy. My brain now has a folder for comparison. It’s almost like I’m hypersensitive (big word for me to use, ha) to it now. I catch myself leaning towards comparing relationships instead of finding the joy in all of my friends' uniqueness. I also hear it when I talk to friends or when we converse on what the Holidays are going to look like compared to years past. How it might not look the same or even look drastically different. Find Joy in the small moments and choose to let go of comparison this holiday season.


God equips us for the season that we are going to step into even before we knowingly step into it. We can sing in the shadows, lifting up a praise of thanksgiving for what He has done in our life and thank Him for what He is going to do. What are you facing today friend? I encourage you to lift up a song of praise and trust God as you dance in the dark. Leaning into the joy that the Lord gives us new each day.

My God never changes, even in my challenges…I will still choose Joy!

 

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