"Joy is The Holy Fire..."

"...that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow"  ~Helen Keller

Sometimes in life I feel like a sponge for what God is teaching me...maybe I should always feel that way, but I have noticed there are times where the instruction seems more intensive....and I think, "WAIT...I don't remember signing up for this class :P"  I've also been thinking about the truth that every situation has several different perspectives.  I used to think there was only my perspective  :) (or first reaction) and others must be mistaken if they could witness the same things I did and interpret them totally differently.  I think Brad still thinks I have a ways to go in this area (so maybe I shouldn't use the word "used"), but I'm working on it.  Anyway, apart from comparing perspectives with others, there are always multiple ways we can chose to view our own situations. 

I dropped Karly at gymnastics class yesterday and then went for a walk on the Falling Waters Trail.  I love when the weather gets nice enough to do that because I am a person who really treasures some alone time to gather my thoughts, pray, and just be quiet....and I'd rather be outside than anywhere. I watched a crazy swan for a while that seemed to duck (ha! to duck...whatever!) whenever I would try to get it's picture and enjoyed the smell of the lilacs and some other flowering bush that I didn't recognize along the way, but one thing that was out of the ordinary for the walk was that someone had placed valentines in random places along the route....on the back of signs or by the benches and garbage cans....so, then it became a little adventure for me to find them all....they were zebra print and said, "I'm wild about you!"  I found like 5 or 6 of them, but left them for someone else who may be amused by them along their walk.  I realize that I may not have been the intended recipient, but it was still delightful....and GOD knew I would find them, so that is always pretty cool to think about.

My biggest lesson over the last few weeks has been to determine not to ride on a roller coaster of emotions and allow myself to feel sick with my first reactions to things, but to rest in the knowledge that God is in control and there is a purpose to things that I cannot always (or almost never) see.  Then, to look for something good in it or, at least a reason why I am blessed in spite of it.  I think that is wise....I think there are always valentines stuck in random places along our path from GOD, but we barely ever notice them and we need to practice being intentional in looking for them.

There are many theories about how our brain works...we do wear paths in our brains by how we think and handle our situations.  Every moment has a multitude of options for us to discern and the ways that we choose to go will affect our processing in the future. Like a stream that grows into a river, the momentum to that way of processing a thought will build. I have talked recently about the need for us to be prayer warriors....that takes training...but along with the battle to increase our prayer life and become intercessors for others, sometimes we really have to battle to be joyful.