Joy Ride

Blog Post by Wendy Kauffman                                        

 So first thing in the morning we are headed home to Miami. It has been great to be able to see family and friends and have an amazing time celebrating the changes in our lives. Just over the last 2 weeks we have seen our oldest son Jeremy get married and leave for basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia. We had our second son, Jason, announce his engagement to Annie, which we are very excited about. We found out that my sister is pregnant with her second child, my parents 17th grandchild. My brother is very close to moving into his house that he has been working on for over a year now. My nephew, David, who lived with us for a while a few years ago, is getting married next summer to a super sweet girl. So many amazing and great things going on.

So it has really baffled me as to why I have had such a hard time keeping my joy. Anyone reading this would think you would be crazy to not be on cloud nine to see all the great things going on.

For me, though, it has been hard to stay joyful in the midst of it all. I don't know why, but it is easier for us to think about all the bad things that are happening instead of all of the amazing things that God is doing around us. Right now we are in the struggle of our lives trying to keep our heads above water financially. There are so many unknowns as we return to Miami. So many things we are unsure about, or even how to go about getting them done.

It hit me tonight though, it is my connection. In the middle of everything going on I have not taken the time to really spend talking with God every day like I normally do. I am usually pretty good about spending a considerable amount of time with God everyday. It is something that I make a priority for sure, but I have found myself thinking about my situation in the natural trying to figure how to get it all taken care of.

One thing God has really shown me these past few months is that there is nothing natural about what we are doing and why we are doing it in Miami. It really is a crazy, pretty supernatural thing.

That being said, I realize tonight that I cannot possibly keep joy, feel joy or know joy without having those daily times of connection with God. It is quite possibly the single most important thing we can do. It does not take much, a little time in the Bible and a little time just having a convo with God about what He wants us to do today. One thing I know for sure is that it makes a big difference in the joy I feel. I do need joy!  If this is something you need too but don't know where to start, a great Bible reading plan can be found here.http://www.vervecatalysts.org/.