Joy through the Trials

So I went to my parents in TN for Christmas, and came back to MI. And life got rough. I mean, the kind of rough where I feel like there is NO HOPE left. It didn't help that I was sick.....sick with headaches for 3 days straight. I couldn't watch tv. I couldn't read my Bible. I was on the couch or in bed, and had no desire to do ANYTHING. I felt like a mad person. I was angry and bitter at my situation and circumstances. I wondered why God was allowing everything He was. It was a rock bottom kind of moment....and then I started my new Bible Study (which just happens to be on James) for the following week. And wept. The tears flowed as I started reading about trials and tests, and why God allows them.
-to test the strength of our faith
-to humble us
-to wean us from our dependence on earthly things
-to call us to an eternal and heavenly hope
-to reveal what we really love
-to teach us to value God's blessings
-to develop enduring strength for greater usefulness
-to help us better encouage others who are in times of trial

I had everything wrong. I was loathing in self-pity. I was ashamed at how ugly I had become with my attitude and thoughts. And I had to repent and confess just how sorry I was to the Lord. I am SO incredibly thankful that He only kept me in that spot for a few days. And I am incredibly thankful that back in November, He knew the exact moment I would need to be refreshed....because that is when I got a call from the new Women's Choir conductor at Moody. She asked if I would be willing to go on tour with them as their sound person. What an incredible privilege and JOY to be with 40 women--women who I feel I've known for years, and it was the first time I was meeting half of them.











These gals make me happy. They love Jesus and have a servants heart. They encourage me and love me. And I love them back. I am so excited to spend 2 weeks with them in March!


I'm thankful for God's Word. I'm thankful for the blessings He gives and the people He has placed in my life. I'm thankful for the way He provides. I'm thankful for hope. And I am learning that I have to be thankful for trials....because even though I don't know the "why's," God does. We all face trials. And we know they are not always a pretty sight. But let's keep our focus on our amazing Creator-and have inexpressible J-O-Y!