Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. These powerful statements are 3 short verses from 1 Thessalonians 5.... I wrote them down separately because as I read them this morning, I was struck by the simple, yet powerful commands of these phrases. Always be joyful.... never stop praying... be thankful in ALL circumstances... for THIS is God's will for you{me}.... I know I belong to Jesus and I know I am being held in His hand and that God is sovereign and reigning in my life... so I can choose to live out these commands and obey them, knowing all the while that this. is. God's. will. for. me. Even though there is much good in my life, in our lives and for the most part we are joyful and thriving, happiness & laughter abound in our home... the pain is present and the sorrow is real. I get frustrated by it, because I don't like being sad and living in pain is exhaust...
Our new family story as I, and my 5 children, learn to thrive - not just survive - after the loss of our "main man". This life is a continuing walk in God's amazing grace. "To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." Eph 4:7