Tag Archives: choices

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We went for a walk, my niece, the dog, two boys on bikes, and me.

The worms were out, scattered across the sparkling, just-rained-on driveway like the longest pink eraser shavings you've ever seen.

We walked, and they curled and uncurled themselves in the sun, seeming to have come from nowhere and with nowhere to go.

Then I saw all the little trails behind them, crissing and crossing over the packed gravel.

Worm trails say: Live above reproach!

A labyrinth of the past. A record of paths intersected.

And I realized that's how my own past looks, crissed and crossed and scattered and directed by the steps and the influence of others. ...continue reading →

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Life would be such a drab and dull thing without joy. Laughter would be stilled; humor would not exist; and we would wallow in despair so complete it would destroy us.

And yet. . . in a way life would be much simpler if we didn’t have to be joyful. It’s one thing when the sun is shining and our hearts are at rest. It’s quite another when life takes an unfair turn and we’re left gasping for breath at the injustice of it all. Joy is not the natural response to hard times. Anger is. Despair is. Sorrow is. But joy? Whyever joy?

How can God expect it of us?

And expect it of us He does. Rejoice evermore. . . in every thing give thanks. . . count it all joy. . . There’s no doubt what He wants from us as His children.

It looks fairly impossible from a human standpoint, this joying in all things. But joy is not something we stir up within ourselves or somehow create. Joy is a gift from God, and He loves to give good gifts to His children. Don’t try to concoct your own version of joy; just ask Him for His. Choose joy, and let Him remind you how much He loves you. No matter the trial, He has promised to never leave us, to walk with us through it, to give us as much strength as we need.

And that in itself is a reason to be joyful. He hasn’t left us alone to stagger beneath our pain; He’s right here with us. And while the laughter may be drowned in tears for a while, the joy can still be present. Joy in Him if in nothing else.

He is reason enough, and more. ...continue reading →