Live Joyfully

Hey guys! Rebekah Joy here. I wanted to start this blog off with my main idea. Living a Joyful life.

Now to be clear this Joy that I speak of is not of my own making. It comes from my relationship with the Lord. I acknowledge that not all who engage with my blog will have this same faith, but it is core to who I am and speaks into all areas of my life. So if you are someone that does not share my faith I hope you may still find value in my content and if you have any questions, I would love to answer them.

My faith in Jesus Christ brings joy into my life. Not just circumstantial joy, but deep abiding joy. Joy that is beyond human understanding and gives life even in difficult seasons.

As I write about life I will keep returning to this idea of Unreserved JOY.

Because it is a HUGE part of who I am. I love finding the good in life, because there is always good. No matter what we have reason to choose joy in life because of just that- we are alive. Life its self is a reason to be joyful.

I hope that as I share my life experiences, struggles, joyful moments and passions with you that this idea of finding Joy because of who we are in Christ resonates with you. Because Joy is a promise of the Lord. It is a fruit of his Holy Spirit that we can cultivate and lean into. [Now don’t get me wrong, I think all of the Fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control- are important and necessary for a deeper life with Christ. I just resonate with joy.]

Psalms 20:16 says “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

In the NIV Bible translation the word ‘joy’ is used 242 times. The repetition of this word shows me how meaningful it is. Not only is it used in times of happiness, but it is also brought to the forefront in times of distress. In James 1:2-3 it talks about considering our trials a ‘joy’ because the byproduct of our faithful joy produces perseverance. How encouraging this is!?! We may have joy in knowing we are being transformed.

I encourage you to commit to living a Joyful Life.

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Growth in Weakness

As many of you may know I am a runner. I enjoy putting all my efforts and energy into running hard towards goals. This sport has served me well in this utilizing my drive, focus, and passion. It has also developed a strengthening of my resolve when going after goals. On the flip side of my strength lies my weakness.

 Impatience.

I find it very difficult to wait on the Lord once He has given me a goal. I want to drop everything and go after the goal. This focus and passion are things I see as my largest strengths. BUT in those strengths my largest weakness hides. Our Lord is so good at knowing us; what we need to grow and develop. I lived out a season of growing into my strengths for many years and now feel I have entered into a season of growing in my weakness. Because the Lord is too good of a father to allow me to live in this weakness. His will is to see me lean into him, rely on his strength. The strength of His timing, His provision, and His plan.

The thing I have realized is that my impatience is quite arrogant. Its like I’m saying “Thanks for the heads up Lord I got it from here.” When in reality I may know the general direction the Lord wants me to go, but I need Him daily to understand His plan. I need to listen for His timing, when to move, when to wait, when rest, and when to recklessly jump in trusting Him. And when those reckless moves happen trust His provision. So often I try to orchestrate all the financial, relational, and logistical pieces to be just right. The problem is when I jump I can not possibly foresee all the possible issues and end up stressing myself out. Listening to the Lord- Waiting on the Lord is so vital to being able to walk in confidence and power.

When we know we are in the Will of God there is a confidence that we walk in because we are getting our authority from the power of the Lord God, the Creator of the Universe! When you are able to see the greater picture of how our role plays into the plan of the Creator of the Universe it makes sense that we get excited about the goals the Lord gives us; but we must be willing to wait on His timing, His provision, and His Plan! Because no matter what part you play in the Plan of the Lord, His greater plan is the most important part. Its The GOAL. The Kingdom of God is what we are all working under and towards bringing here on earth.

“Our Father, who are in heaven. Hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us of our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, amen.” – Matthew 6:9-13