To sing Hallelujah

I am reading this book called "bittersweet." The author writes short chapters, discussing short chapters within her own life. By using names and telling stories. As I rode the 72 bus this morning on the way to pre-school, I was captivated by a few of the pages that I read.

She wrote about the season she was currently in. About living with her husband and her small son, and being lonely. About how she had just come from a very rough spot, but did not recognize in it the joys of being in it.

"I'm able to see now that what made that season feel so terrible to me were not the changes. What made that season feel so terrible is that I lost track of some of the crucial beliefs and practices that every Christian must carry with them..."

I think about this. How much I say I desire change. It seems though, that when I am in the midst of change (which is like my entire last year), I seem to handle it quite terribly. I have been blaming my terrible attitude on all of the changes, and trying to "handle them." But, this is a very low blow blame. What makes me feel terrible is that I am losing track of some of my crucial beliefs. When I become focused on me, I begin to trust in myself, which shows my distrust in God. Which is like me saying that I do not believe he is good. But He is! He is Good! He is trust worthy! And if I would just let him have it, and not worry about the changes, I think I would find this to not be a terrible season, but a very purifying experience...

She then wrote about a weekend where she flew to California to spend three days with her college friends and their small babies. How they just rejoiced in every single squeezed out moment of lemonade life that weekend. And how if you are still in that season where you live with those people, to continue squeezing out every moment.

I can't help but thinking about the season I am in. I mean, I blog about it practically every day for gosh sake. (http://welaughbecause.wordpress.com/) Because I know that it is good. But, reading her words, about how life will be. How the day will come when we will not all live in the same house... or city for that matter. How we will be spread all over this country and world. How we will rejoice in memories past. I know right now, that I serve a very good God, that he allows such a powder sugar covered season to exist.

I know too, that an end does come to all good things. And because of The Fall, we can not live our lives in secluded community with those relationships close to perfection. We must venture out into the world, furthering His Kingdom. But, there is great peace when I think of eternity. When I think of the word forever, and how very long of a time that is. What a party heaven will be! It would be very selfish for us to keep to ourselves the Joy of our Savior, so we must, for a short time, share of ourselves while here on earth. But, we have a hope, a hope of a day to come when pain and suffering shall exist no more. When the hallelujahs sung to our King are echoing off golden streets. Forever and Ever...

So, while I am in this season of churning change, and powder sugar covered joys, I will trust in my Good God, and share of his perfections, awaiting the day when together we will sing unending Hallelujahs!

Auntie Role

I’m convinced that there is no better status to hold than that of an Aunt. I have 10. 10 glorious, wonderful Aunts. Donna, Sherry, Jan, Mary Jane, Charlene, Joyce, Mary, Tina, and Elaine.  Oh and I love them! I love because of the way they love me, the way they are my friend and mom. The way we have fun, when I was little and still today.

And I am an Aunt too! I have 6 nieces and nephews, but with my brothers foster son in china, and my cousin Mandy’s three, I feel like I have 10. 10 glorious, wonderful nieces and nephews. Solomon, Benjamin, Ellenor, Havilah, Zoe, Esther, An, Dom, Eli and Mia. Oh and I love them! I love the way they love me, the way we are friends, the way we play and have fun.

I think what makes this role the most wonderful is how it is rule breaking. It is like taking the best parts of all other rols, defying any negative sanctions, and justifying every last action.  As an aunt, you can get way with it, just because.

You nurture like a mother

        spoil like a grandma

        tell secrets like an older sister

        train like a teacher

        and play like a friend.

But, at the end of the day, you love like an aunt. And what a joy this is! This caps all other roles, and emotions and trumps all other positions. In this deck, the Aunt Card wins every hand.

I am thankful

I am thankful. For a new job at MACYS, downtown, and when I exit the building I find myself in a whirl of winter wonderland, crisp air slapping my leathered cheeks.

I am thankful to come home, to a house that is a home, full of people enjoying a Thanksgiving meal, and that our Land lord and her mother (owner of the house who spent 30 Thanksgivings here) came, to have food to share and save for leftovers, to have good conversation that continued to refer to scripture and the goodness and Joy of the Lord, and that cleaning became a room mate bonding time that led to shot glasses of organic apple cider and prayer over our week and other roommates.

I am thankful that my family is here, that I get to see my brother before he returns to China, that my parents live close enough for me to see them whenever I need, that my cousins Nick and Mandy let me be a part of their family night and welcome me into their heart and home always, and that my sister, though she is far away, is one of my closest friends.

I am thankful that I have such amazing friends, who love me in such amazing ways, who tell me stories and keep me up at night, who call me randomly, who send me notes that make me happy, that teach me about being a wife, and show me through their lives and responses how to be a woman who serves the Lord.

I am thankful that I serve a God who loves unconditionally, and gives graciously, and lavishes lovey things, who responds in gentleness and controls in greatness and surprises with consistency, who places me where I need to be and knows me better than I do myself, who takes great delight in me and in the very little things that bring me delight and that he is the center of my very delight.

The grief in it all

My dear friend Sarah has been living in India these past few months. She grew up there when she was little, and moved to America to be with her “home” culture and family again. But for a few months, she got to return to the land of her dreams, this time to teach at the school she was once a student. She has had an amazing trip, and is about to return to America again, where we will get to be roommates for another wonderful season.

In one of our more recent conversations over Facebook, we talked about the strange, interrelatedness of Joy and Grief. How she is so happy being where she is, in the moment she is there, but there is sadness with the thought of leaving. Sadness with watching others who were there with her, leave before she. I talked about the joy of being where I am, at my new school, traveling by bus and capturing well the culture of Portland… and yet my sadness still of missing Multnomah. Of not being an RA to my girls anymore. Or how much fun my life is, and how I am able to remember things about my Grammy… but she is still gone, and there is grief in that.

And so we talked and battled and concluded, though without totally victory, that Joy and Grief CAN co-exist. As a matter of fact, its not that they can, its that they must. In order to really experience and understand joy, we must know and have experienced grief. And to really have and experience grief, we must of had and experienced total joy.

And isn’t this how it is with our Lord? I imagine Jesus, while he was walking on earth, to have been the most joyful man there was! I mean, not only did he KNOW the father, he was part of the father. I mean, talk about joy right there. And yet… he was on earth. I wonder at the grief he must have experienced. When people spit in his face, and denied the father, and choose sin. The grief from being fully human, and experiencing pain, and loss. When Lazarus died, HE WEPT. Jesus wept. The most joyful man alive, was grieved when his friend died, when he had to leave the earth, when people wronged him. I wonder if his grief was deeper even than ours, based upon the fact that he had so much Joy to start with…. And like wise, if his joy on earth was that much greater, because of the depth of grief he had experienced.

Hmmm. Well, from these thoughts, I have concluded, much to the thankful aid of Sarah, that Joy and Grief must co-exist. And it is good. so rather than just focusing on Joy, and pushing out all other emotions, I am curious to see how other things play into this scale… not just the extreme opposites. So for now, this blog is about joy, but please excuse me if it seems to direct away… it will come back. Joy always does.

You are my JOY!

Chelsea and I are getting more on the same schedule. She said is is my fault, and I will gladly take the blame! I like to get up early, which means early to bed. But I like it when we go to bed at the same time, cause we both sleep better. And… she uses her ipod for an alarm which is soooo much better than my BEEP BEEP BEEP of my phone. So, she sets it to nice songs. And for a few mornings, we listened to David Crowder Band, which is my personal favorite. Then as we were getting ready, we could sing. Well, a favorite of ours is becoming YOU ARE MY JOY.

In the morning, it is so easy to groan, and complain, and mope. Who wants to take a shower in the cold bathroom anyways? Can we please skip school today? What the crap… why is it morning already? See? Its so easy. But not when we are worshiping. One morning last week, I was determined to ride my bike to school, no matter how I felt when I woke up. So I was determined to have a good attitude. So we listened to the song, You are my joy, you are my joy, you are my JOOOOOOOOY. Wouldn’t you know it, it was the coldest morning yet! 35 degrees and I find myself coasting down Glisan. Two long sleeves, a wool sweater, a coat, two pairs gloves, double layer leggings, a hat and a scarf. The icy wind slapping my cheeks and chapping my lips … and yet if your window was slightly cracked to let out your cigarette smoke as I zipped past, you would have heard me yelling out of my almost out of breathed asthma mouth, “ YOU ARE MY JOY YOU ARE MY JOY YOU ARE MY JOYYYYYYY. I need to catch my breath, I need to catch my breath, YOU ARE MY JOY.” And he was.

So this morning, the alarm went off, for the third time after snooze, trying to raise us to a day laden with homework. If you were in the Kitchen barely above our room, you could have heard two girls, singing out in the dark, almost convincingly, YOU ARE MY JOY YOU ARE MY JOY YOU ARE MY JOY!

And you know what? I am convinced. Because He is my Joy. And that is the end of it. Some days I can do nothing more than shout it out, You are my joy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPt89nSkoM4

The Utterance of Joy.

At a Woman's retreat I attended last weekend (at The Well), we talked about brokenness. And how through broken dreams/ broken expectations, God can show himself the most! I thought about dreams/expectations that I have that have been broken, and how each time, the Lord has consistently proven Himself to me. And how, even though right now, I feel like I have things that are broken, I know he is moving.

I just changed schools. For the first time in my 18 years of schooling, I am attending a public school. Now, this might not be that big of a deal for most people, but... for this girl it was quite the feat to leave a school that new every one's name, to the largest University in Oregon. And I Love it!

When the Lord first started working on my heart about changing schools last year, I was so anti the idea. I mean, I had it all planned out. I knew what I was doing with my life. Kinda. Ok, I didn't really have a clue. But I was trying to control it for gosh sake! And besides, I knew what I was good at, and what I enjoyed. So there.

And that was my attitude. A terrible attitude to have when the Lord is asking you to humbly follow Him. The whole year, I was reading this book, called Hinds feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard. And it is about this girl, who is Much Afraid. The Shepherd asks her to go to the high places, to receive feet like the hinds. And she is reluctant to go. I spent the year reading the journey of Much Afraid. Feeling much like the story of my life was being written before my very eyes. And we journeyed together, Much Afraid and I. And I tried hard to trust the Shepherd that the high places would produce joy.

I didn't want to go to Portland State, because I didn't think I would enjoy it. I thought I would have a bad attitude, and have a rough time processing it. I prepared me and my closest friends for the worst. I felt like I was gripping the handle bars of my roller coaster, waiting for that huge drop off... white knuckled, the drop off never comes. I just need to trust that I am locked in safe, and enjoy the ride. And if there is a drop off, I am safe, so I don't need to clench waiting for it.

Last year was the best year of my life. I just loved what I did. I loved being an RA more than anything I have ever done. I loved living on campus, and some of the classes I was taking, and when I got to cook, and having my own room. I didn't know I could love life more.

And then this year came. Broken dreams and all. No, I am not an RA. I am not going to school with all my closest friends. I am not at my safe little school. And I love it! I enjoy every day. I love exploring my new campus, and being surrounded by people who are not just like me. For once! And having to walk blocks to get to different classes. And having homeless people on my campus. I love that there is ALWAYS someone to talk to if I so desire. And that people want to talk about things. I love more than anything, that I am in classes that I want to learn about. I walk away every day just flabbergasted that I get to got to school to learn this stuff.

I guess all this to say, I find myself enjoying my life in a way I never knew I could. More than ever, I wake up excited about my day. About my life. I go to a school, where I get to learn things that I am interested in. I enjoy learning and doing my homework. This is exactly how it is suppose to be. I live in this house, that I enjoy. Its yellow and organized and clean. And I live with these room mates who rock my boat every day. Squeeky voices and all.

The thing is, I have reason to have Joy. David Crowder has this song, called You are my Joy. And that's basically the song. Singing out loud to the Lord, YOU ARE MY JOY! And He is. I find Joy every day, because I am blessed to spend time with him. It is a joy to be loved by Him. He provides joy in the smaller things, and it helps that I am doing things that I feel I was created to do, things that naturally instill the emotion of joy in me. But if I had all these things, and I had not Him, true Joy would not exist.