I am proud to be a guest host today with the Faith and Fellowship blog hop. I love this hop because the focus is on what the Lord is doing in our lives through creative sharing and writing about the Lord’s blessings and what He is teaching us. It brings me Joy to be a part of such a wonderful community of women!
With that in mind, I will briefly share five thoughts on Why I Will Choose Joy Today for the Tuesdays At 10 Community:
@Mary-andering Creatively 2015
1. When I focus on the joy that God gives me, I find real strength. Strength to overcome, to love, and to reach out in compassion.
Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
2. I know my days are ordered and directed by the One True God who created me and
With Him all things are possible.
Psalm 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation
3. I know Jesus died for me on a Cross of Shame
He gave His all for me!
To not live in Joy
Makes His Sacrifice Meaningless
Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts your works.
4. This one is the hardest for me to wrap my head around. He accepts my work?!
Why? My work is so imperfect and flawed. His love is so perfect, pure, and real.
He will accept your work too if you focus on doing it for Him!
He will accept you too!
Isaiah :5,6 Sing to the Lord; for He has done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, you inhabitant of Zion:
for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of you.
5. Jesus is God! He is great and He continues to do excellent things for me
and for all that love Him.
He is my God!
Do you choose joy? Why do you think it is important to choose joy over negativity?
Now on to the Faith & Fellowship Hop. I am so grateful to Susannah for this chance to co-host with her, and I hope you will join us!
Faith and Fellowship Guidelines
1. Link up a post (not just the link to your blog) from the week that shares what the Lord’s been doing in your life or speaking to you.2. Put the button on your blog post or blog so that others can hear about this wonderful group of Godly women.
3. Visit as many blogs as you’re able and get to know your sisters in Christ!
Your Host:
Susannah from Simple Moments StickThis Week’s Cohost:
Mary from Mary-andering Creatively
Mary-andering Creatively is my blog where you will find nonfiction creative writing, photography, and poetry aimed at inspiring women to find Christ and live more fulfilling Christian lives. After working more than 28 years as a news reporter, broadcast copywriter, school librarian, and emergent literacy specialist, I became a a stay-at-home, disabled mom who blogs. I started writing my blog because my counselor suggested I blog as a way to cope with my daily pain. Although I suffer from extreme pain because of arthritis and fibromyalgia, I am blessed that I can write my blog by typing or using speech-to-text technology. Mary-andering Creatively, however, has grown from a blog about my struggles with pain. It has become a place where I write creatively about my life in Christ. I also offer my advice and insights on a range of family and parenting issues. I also love to write poetry and take photographs of the sights I see as I travel and explore.
Last Week’s Most Viewed Post:
Worshipful Living
Susannah’s Blog Post Pick:
The Father Swap
Avoid this Pitfall Before You Say “I Do”
If you’d like to cohost in the future, please email Susannah at susannah.kellogg (at) gmail.com
Also linking up with:
Also joining these hops : Words With Winter Linkup, Grace at Home party, Thought-Provoking Thursdays, #Grace &Truth , Faith & Friends, Faith and Fellowship Blog Hop, Faith Filled Fridays, Fellowship Fridays, Friendship Fridays, #DanceWithJesus Friday Linkup and Fridays Unfolded.
Be sure to check out my linkup party page for more great linkups that I join regularly.
If your articles are always this helpful, “I’ll be back.”
Lovely post… I always try to choose joy over negativity.
Visiting from the Tuesday at Ten linkup 🙂
by Michelle Westbrook recently posted…Find Joy In Rainy Days
My mum was just talking to me about joy and being thankful! At the moment we’re all quite sick and saying how thankful we are for our beds, and that we have a warm, dry house. We want to see God’s love in all things and be glad 🙂
Mary,
Thank you for sharing how you find joy…it’s funny but I’ve been thinking about how the joy of the Lord is my strength 🙂
Dolly@Soulstops recently posted…Top 10 Things I learned in June
I loved reading the ways you find joy, Mary! It’s so important to focus on those things that bring us joy and to find the joy amongst the difficult. I loved reading your thoughts and learning a little more about you!