Fullness of Joy

This past weekend I experienced one of those rare moments in my life; a moment that can only be described as the “fullness of joy”. I have only felt this euphoria maybe twice in my lifetime and that’s probably more than most people. It was a brief moment of time where all fears and cares of the world fade to nothing and I feel completely at peace.

It’s hard to put on paper this experience. It was as if time stopped, the noise around me ceased, all thoughts left my head, and I was totally satisfied in body, mind, and spirit. I assumed immediately it was a gift from God and actually closed my eyes to say thank you. Instead of thank you, the first thought was “Lord, I am completely happy at this perfect moment, take me home right now.”

As I stood in my kitchen thinking such a thought and surrounded by laughter, food, and family, just as quickly as it came, the feeling left and my regular thoughts returned. All the busyness that usually accompanies such family times as Thanksgiving started back up. Did everyone get enough to eat? Who is watching the grand kids? Is it time to serve pumpkin pie? Do we have enough forks? (ya-da, ya-da, ya-da)

I wanted to keep this moment forever but knew I could not. I thanked the Lord in my head for giving me this precious gift of joy. Now my prayer is for each of you who will read this blog that you too feel that moment that can only be described as the Psalmist described it “the fullness of Joy” (Ps 16:11).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I want to go where you are

“I want to go where you are,” she said and I knew she meant she wanted to go home with me. My first thought was, “This is a result of the children calling me Jaaja (African for grandmother). They now think I am their grandmother and I’m here to take care of them.” I had spent the entire week at the ‘Children’s Healing Camp’ in Kampala, Uganda working with the Friend of TOUCH Ministry. I had a small group of children, 6 in all, and she was NOT one of them. In fact I never met her before and yet she had the courage to come up to me, a stranger, and ask me to take her home. I wondered how bad her life was that she was willing to place her hope and trust in a total stranger rather than her own family. Reluctantly I had to explain to her that I could not take her home (though I wanted to). She looked downcast as she turned to walk away. There’s always one more child to help; one more that needs Jaaja’s love. I keep reaching for them with my heart first and then what ever resources I ca...
Read more

Help I'm Locked out of my Rental House!

Image
As the owner of a Locksmith company, I know our busiest time is during a holiday and summer. People are out of their routine when they go on holiday or vacation so they are more likely to lock themselves out of their car and or rental unit. Here are a few tips to keep yourself safe from rip off, fly by night, locksmiths. 1) Ask them if they are licensed and bonded. In Virginia, we must display our license number on every advertisement including letters, website, phone ad, etc. If you see a locksmith ad without a license number, they are not legit. 2) Make sure they have a local address and phone number (unless you are using a national road side service like AAA). 3) Ask them if they have set fees for the service you need or a good faith estimate over the phone. When they arrive, verify the service fees they are about to charge you and agree on a price before they begin work. 4) Only pay when the job is done not over the phone beforehand. 5) If they say th...
Read more

Packing for Your Short Term Mission Trip

You’re going on a short-term mission trip. You've done all the prep work: training classes, raising your funds, prayer, and maybe you've even learned a few sentences in a foreign language. Finally, it’s time to pack. Here are some helpful hints: First, start with prayer. You will be amazed at what the Lord lays on your heart to pack or leave behind. When I was preparing to go to Honduras, the Lord said to pack plastic coffee mugs. I thought that was silly, couldn't be the Lord, so I didn't. When we got to the missionary's house where we were staying, they needed coffee mugs. Next, find out what to wear where you are ministering by talking to your team leader or the host missionary. What is considered proper attire? What is considered inappropriate attire? You do not want to offend the people you are trying to win to the Lord by wearing clothes they feel are provocative. In Uganda, it was only appropriate to wear shorts or jeans on shopping day. The rest of t...
Read more