commanding JOY

Good Morning! So, yesterday Zachary and I spent 2 hours in line trying to get the ole' car re-tagged. We got to the DMV and they looked for a good half hour trying to find our personal property tax records and came up that we were not even in the system. So, then, we drove to the County Administrative Office were we waited in line for another 45 minutes. When we got up there I explained the situation and was informed I never confirmed our moving to the county 2 years ago! Opps! So, getting that all straightened out {45 minutes and 800 dollars later} we drive back to the DMV and wait another 30 minutes then it is OUR turn! 15 minutes later we are walking out with our plates re-tagged for 2 years! Hallelujah!

One can look at this 2 ways: Way 1: 2 hours in line with a 2 year old dealing with rude receptionists and impatient, ignorant people in front and behind you. Being fined $150 for late taxes when you weren't even in the system.{ugh}And, the cherry on top of the cake $800 dollars outta your checkbook, forever. OR Way 2: 2 hours getting to spend holding hands with your child while people complement him for being so GOOD and CUTE! {as if I didn't already know these things;)} $800 is a lot of money but at least I had it and I have transportation to be taxed on.

God doesn't give us the chose if you want to be a Debbie downer and always look at the negative, that is fine as long as you tithe and do your church thing; NO, he commands us to chose JOY and rejoice in him in every situation! Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!"

God longs for us to have joy and have it in it's full measure; John 15:11 "...MY joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" Joy is part of who God is, we are to be like Him and bare his fruits.  John 17:13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy with them" Jesus let his disciples see him praying and having fellowship with His Father so that we could see the full extent of his contentment and joy.

Joy is a conscious decision to look at the situation and see the good even when the bad is shining through; hence my car situation yesterday. It is having a grateful outlook and positive perspective.

 Happiness and Joy can often be confused as one thing but are completely different. Happiness comes through positive circumstances {new job, raise, finding money in your coat pocket, having a baby} and, joy is the chose to see the positive {flat tire but thank God we have a spare}. God does want us to experience happiness, which, is why I think he gives us these happy situations. We are his children and he wants nothing more than us to experience he full blessings upon our lives. And, with these blessings comes happiness!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstance; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." <---my favorite!

So, with this I am Cindy Simmons and I am choosing joy.

Pastor Mike {our amazing pastor} gave a sermon Sunday about how God commands us to be joyful and I found it super awesome so this is my reflections on it!

things I love thursday

With spring here {finally} the trees, flowers and grass are in full bloom and I just love it! { half the pictures on my camera are of baby grass and trees (:} Spring brings a sense of freshness, new life, and freedom. God is so amazing, he seems to bring newness just when we need it! I love how all the leaves fall off in the fall and new fresh ones come back in the spring. It reminds me of my own life.  I sin more often than I wish and repent {the sins 'fall off'} and newness, happiness, brightness 'grows' back!

I am adoring my collection of farmer market produce. SO much better for me and tasting then the supermarket and CHEAPER! hallelujah! Slashing the budget and enjoying it!

 

 

 look at that pretty grass! So adorbs!!

 

Listening to my little man sing "Scooby, Scooby doo where are youuu?" --serious cuteness right there!

Oh, and on a more serious note, a new instagram/blog friend Abigal Cappel  lost her grandma a couple days ago. Please, pray for her and feel free to visit her blog and give her some love. Lost can be so hard but, knowing there are people supporting and praying for you can help.

 

 

Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

 

I'm letting go

From the outside you see a bubbly, energetic, sometimes silly acting mom but on the inside I am angry. I have never been able to pin point why I have such a hard time controlling my anger, maybe I was never taught how to control it, maybe it is because I need the control in situations, maybe from being in 3 year abusive relationship...I guess it could be a combination of many things. But, by being this way, it affects many aspects of my life...I overreact when I feel I am losing control of a situation (large or small), I yell WAY to much, I shut people out, and I am not fully devoting myself to Him.

As hard as this is to admit I yell way to much at my babies. Instead of yelling I need to sitting down and explaining to them how they did something wrong. By yelling I am not only hurting them, but, even more importantly I am letting the cycle continue, letting them think it is o.k. to act this way. My marriage is strained by my intense anger and behavior, also. My hubby is SUCH a hard worker, he provides financially, emotionally, and spiritually for our family but how do I repay him by having to control everything, by nitpicking, and by arguing over little things. I know how I SHOULD act but it is once again letting go of that ANGER. I feel if I let go them what can I control?

 But, I do know one thing in order to be a FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER of CHRIST I have to LET GO. In Luke 14:33, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." That means I have to give up EVERYTHING. EVEN, the anger? A lot of times I read this verse and question "really God, I gave you my finances, my marriage, my Zachary...do I have to let go of this?" One would think, it is anger...why do you want to hold onto it? My answer is when I hold on to this I secretly feel like I am in control of everything I gave to Him. SO, did I really give him anything? NO, do I want to? YES! I have gotten to the point in my life I am ready to pick up my cross and carry it too. I want to have a deeper, more grounded relationship with my heavenly Father. I am putting these verse into action.  Will I always be perfect at it? NO, but I am giving it my EVERYTHING and that is all he is asking me to do. I deny myself for him today and everyday until the end of time!  Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”

I want to raise my boys in a way that they KNOW that their mom is a FOLLOWER of Christ, not JUST a FAN. I will grow with my God, I will grow with my spouse and kids as well. I know that as I connect with God on a more personal, deeply rooted level I will want to let go of that ANGER.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkpRIx7jMp4&list=PLA6B698600A15A9B8