Joy

So it has been over a month since we completed our homestudy. We have been waiting on the approval of the homestudy since that time. What we thought would just be a day or two wait has been a draw out process that is both frustrating and time consuming. Russia is 9 hours ahead of us and so really the only time communication can happen is early in the morning here which is late in the afternoon in Russia. I would say that is a difficult month, but not terrible. But in the small group of 8th graders that I lead, we have been learning about joy. Yeah that is really hard to teach about joy when I have to deal with day after day of frustrating news. I have been angry, annoyed and exhausted trying to deal with this wait. But yet I teach about joy and contemptment. Oh yeah and then there was the week on being in joyful in trials. Good times (at least I got to study about the outcome of trials). I really don't think it was a coincidence. It is hard to be too upset when I have to read Phillipians. Paul wrote that from jail. He used the words joyful words throughout that book, 16 times to be exact. So that has been my struggle throughout our wait. I think that it really hits home with a couple of songs that I have recently heard. One is by Bebo Norman "The Only Hope." You can listen to it below. But he basically talks about how we have decided what we want and that is not always what God wants. I think it really is about joy. One line is "I want a star, but You are a galaxy." I want to cling onto that star, but God is so much more and that is where I need to be joyful.

The Only Hope - Bebo Norman

the other is by Steven Curtis Chapman (you have probably heard this one...I know I have). It is talking about the recent lose of his adopted daughter and that heaven for him right now would be to see her. Later in the song (you can also listen below), he talks about heaven being so much more. And my take away from both of these songs is that what I sometimes think as joy is just a glimpse when I do not allow God to be my source of joy.

Heaven Is The Face - Steven Cu...