Welcome to my blog! I pray you are blessed as you read, and that you leave feeling more uplifted or encouraged than you were before you stopped by. I hope you can laugh at my blunders, say a prayer for my struggles, rejoice with me in my triumphs, and be patient with me in my discoveries and as I stumble along this thing called life.
I wanted to share the meaning behind "My Hope and Joy" and share a little of myself and my heart. First, this blog is designed to be a place to unleash the myriad of thoughts that never seem to end. So you've been warned! If you should dare to continue reading, I claim no responsibility!
There are many things I am passionate about, many things I love, but none that I claim to be an expert on. With God's help, I will let him use me in the ways he chooses, fine tuning of the details and all. I, in myself, am nothing, but it's Him who I have the honor, and yet, responsibility, of representing.
I love God first and foremost. My kids know this and many nights say the same thing to me when I tuck them in, "Mom? I love God more than you. I hope that's OK." As a Christian Mom, that is the most precious and beautiful thing I can ever hear come out of their mouths. And beyond it being precious, it is what I pray for them. God first!
Speaking of kids, I have three. Three boys (ages 14, 10 and 8). Have you seen or heard the saying, "Boy: Noise With Dirt On It"? I've likened my house to a smelly boy frat house. All the efforts in the world can't seem to keep up with the noise, dirt, stink, and rough-housing. But I wouldn't want it to. The things I hear, see, smell, and touch are the very blessings God has given to me, and I want to enjoy every part of them fully. Along the line of kids, kids, and more kids, we are in the process of fostering to adopt and/or adoption. To serve those little ones that don't have the parental role right now. To love them and lead them to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
Photography is a hobby of mine. It used to be a business, but God was leading me into my love of homeschooling my boys and photography had to be set aside. I take pictures and document the lives of these little monsters still so I can preserve those memories that seem like a blink in time.
And homeschooling...I love it. Our days are beautiful! We learn together, we grow together, we study together, we take trips together, we worship together, we live life together! God has graced us with the ability to homeschool, and it has changed me more than it changes the boys I think. I may grumble or protest every now and then. But it's not because I don't like it. I LOVE it. As with anything, there are challenges mixed in with the blessings. So grumbles and all, it's where God wants us to be, it's where we're all happiest, and it's where we learn the most about Him who created us.
The title of this blog is "My Hope And Joy." My hope is Jesus Christ. One day I will sit by him in heaven, where all the cares of this world have vanished. I will talk with my Savior, worship him, see his face, and be complete. While I'm here on earth, he is my hope. My joy comes from this same source. The joy of the Lord is my strength and I sing and shout his praise because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free! Peace and love come from Him alone. My Heavenly Father is my hope and my joy.
