More from Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

VEN'TURE, v.i.

1. To dare; to have courage or presumption to do, undertake or say. A man ventures to mount a ladder; he ventures into battle; he ventures to assert things which he does not know.

2. To run a hazard or risk.

On my own, joy seems such a venture.  But joy, rested in Christ, is not uncertain in it's success.  The joy of the Lord is our Strength.  And He never changes.

Rest well, in that knowledge!

Precarious Joy

My joy is precarious!

precarious PRECA'RIOUS, a. [L. precarius, from precor, to pray or entreat; primarily, depending on request, or on the will of another. 1. Depending on the will or pleasure of another; held by courtesy liable to be changed or lost at the pleasure of another. A privilege depending on another's will is precarious, or held by a precarious tenure. Well, according to the 1812 Websters Dictionary definition!   My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less By: Edward Mote My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteous; No merit of my own I claim But wholly lean on Jesus’ name On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; In every high and story gale My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. His oath, his covenant, his blood Sustain me in the raging flood; When all supports are washed away, He then is all my hope and stay. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When he shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in him be found, Clothed in his righteousness alone, Redeemed to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. Hymn # 368 from Lutheran Worship Author: John Stainer Tune: Magdalen 1st Published in: 1836

Not exactly my way

When we know our Father is in charge, that the maker of the universe knows, cares and has a plan bigger and higher than ours......


This week I face a dream come true.  The details have not worked out the way I had dreamed for a decade.  Yet, I anticipate that that was of the Father's hand to answer another heart-cry.  Then illness threatened the whole thing for us.  Enemy attack or part of His plan?  Either way, my trust is in Him.


  What does the Father have in mind for this?  I do not know...yet.  Truth be told, I may not understand "why".  I do know that the God of the universe has given me a heart's desire, that I do not deserve, cannot earn, and cannot make happen myself.  So while it is dressed in clothes other than my choosing, I will be thankful, and by His grace, choose to believe it is His will, His best.

Mary, journeyed to the New World as a Pilgrim.  In the fictional account, Mary recalls the words of her mother after her father passes away before setting foot in their much-longed for home...

"'Tis far easier to embrace sadness than to reach for joy."  Her mother spoke truth.  From now on, I shall work to take to joy over sadness, Mary decided, as God is my strength."


Wendy Lawton's work Almost Home may be a work of historical fiction.  The truth is not.

In my last post, I stated that:


'"A dear godly woman taught me-think of the worst outcome of the situation you are facing or the most troubling fear you have.  
Now, is God big enough?"


That is trust in HIM, who He is, His character, our relationship in Christ.
And that is the soil of joy."'


We are back to relationship.  When we marry, we do so "for better or worse, richer or poorer".  We commit to loving the other one even if age makes them less attractive, or if disease renders them helpless.  We marry them, by God's grace, committing to seek their best-not what we get out of it.


Our relationship as believers, the church, is a Bride to Christ.  
No other relationship requires more trust than a marriage.
No other relationship requires more vunerability than a marriage.
No other relationship demands as much determined faithfulness as a marriage.


In looking at the Bibical  role of the wife, we can examine godly women who were married to imprefect men.  It strikes me that godly Abraham, as Ben Patterson stated, endangers his wife and gets a lecture in ethics from a godless pharoah!


 Yet, in the end, he is called the father of a nation and is an example of faith in Hebrews 11.  Isn't grace great?


Sarai had to put her trust in God to protect her against the selfish decision of her husband.


But we are not so wed.We are betrothed to one who cannot lie for He is Truth.
He can not grow weak, as He sustains all things by His powerful Word.     
His love endures forever.
He is without shadow or turning. 
He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 


No, stop, don't tune out.  I know it may sound cliche, but consider the full implications of each of those for your life!  Secure?
When we rooted in His love, we can be "more happy, but not more secure than the souls of the blessed in heav'n!" ( A Debtor to Mercy Alone)



Are we rooted and grounded in His love?


Ephesians 3:14-21, from Biblegateway.com,


^:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,^[c] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Oddly, I could not find the hymn lyrics online for "A Debtor to Mercy Alone" that had the same last line as in our Hymns for Worship and Remembrance. A nice recording of this hymn even though the last line differs can be found at
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3GiZIai3IM&feature=related

Ben Patterson's book can be found here:  
http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Finding-Seems-Silent-Saltshaker/dp/0830812962/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330524339&sr=8-2

⁷ "Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls"—Habakkuk 3:17


The past week didn't turn out like I dreamed and planned.  Our lovely week "off" that was to be filled with home and organizing, ended up with alot of running a and unexpected little emergencies, like an overflowing dishwasher!  Nothing of eternal consequence or really a truly serious problem.  We did have food to eat and a house this week~!  


But it had me down, angry-frustrated, tempted to despair.  Despair over lost time...that is a plague to me.  I thought of this verse and remembered that I needed to trust the Father, even in these piddly things that daunt me.  


When I looked the verses up again, I was struck by the fact that the passage doesn't really end there. There is more.....


¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18 NKJV


It doesn't end in "trust"...the trust ends in....joy.
One of the essential humus ingredients to grow joy is trust in the Father regardless of the circumstances.


This differs from trust in God to make everything "alright", whatever our definition may be.  As a dear godly woman taught me-think of the worst outcome of the situation you are facing or the most troubling fear you have.  
Now, is God big enough?
That is trust in HIM, who He is, His character, our relationship in Christ.
And that is the soil of joy.

Of course, a post about joy should be posted on Valentine's Day, right?  I believe this is the 28th V-Day my husband  and I have celebrated together...some joyous, some not so much.

This morning the children and I watched a song from one of my favorite children's dvd's ...Steve Green's Hide 'Em in Your Heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtP1cO6B3Y&feature=related

We discussed what love is...and what it isn't.  Love is a commitment to seek the other person's good, no matter what the cost.  That does NOT mean you should never have feeling for the person you are marrying.  But it's not about how they make your feel or what you do for them.  This we knew before we married.

But there is more that I needed to learn.

First, I needed to learn not to let my husband's eyes be my  idol.  Joy did not come from searching out my husband's eyes to see if he was proud of what I had said, done or accomplished. It was not trying to make his eyes twinkle in pleasure.   In fact, it devastated me, because I was looking in the wrong place.  I doubt I will ever forget the unbelievable conviction when my jealous God confronted me with the fact that I'd made my husband's eyes my idol.  Finally, I understood Isaiah when he cried " I am undone!".  While it was good to try to please my husband, it was not good to make my value or my joy dependent on it.

Secondly, I needed to learn not to measure my obedience to the Lord by my dear husband (or anyone Else's) response.  They may be having a  bad day.  They may be selfish  at the moment.  They may simply not notice-or care!  Our service is to be done as unto the Lord.

This is about my journey into joy.  I'm hoping it helps you with yours.  I'm hoping we can spur each other on and encourage one another along the Way.

 It is as vital to realize the counterfeit offers as well as know the true gem.  Your counterfeits may be different.  Is there something that you simply can't live without?  Something that you think you just can't function unless it's in place.  If it's anything but your Creator and Redeemer, it's an idol.  And our of pure love for you, He will let every one of those fail you til you are resting only in Him.  He is the One who loves completely, unfaltering, unending.  It is only when we live in His love that we will be in joy!