Choosing JOY

Unless you are very pregnant (like my good friend Sara and myself), you may not find this post particularly interesting. BUT, I could be wrong.

Sara, whose due date is Aug. 14, and I were having a wonderful commiserative conversation tonight. Basically, neither of us WANT to complain. . . but both of us find ourselves a bit discouraged at this point. (i.e. very late in our pregnancies.) We're ridiculous in that neither one of us really want to go to church tomorrow, because of the questions and the looks and well, having to go in the same dress we've been wearing each week. (And having to say- again- "Yes, (obviously!) I'm still here, (with child)." Trite! And we also have husbands who have the next week off of work, and we are wondering why God isn't choosing now as (clearly!) the best time. And it's hot. And so on.

YET. Yet we have much more to be thankful for. Our kids are healthy. Our babies seem healthy. We have great midwives and wonderful people to help us. Sara's parents are coming. Our house is being worked on- which is great progress. And, REALLY, it comes down to this: do we believe that God is who the Bible says He is, who He says He is, and can He do what He says He can do? If I am choosing to believe those things are true, then I can choose JOY in the midst of (even "this small) difficulty. I can choose to trust God and His perfect timing, and rest in His sovereign care. That's what I really want to do.

One of Sara's favorite passages now: Psalm 71:5-6
"For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you."

One of my favorite passages now: Psalm 31:14-15
"But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hand.

Nothing profound. Just taking God at His word, daily, when all is not as I would like it to be. I will relinquish my little plan of what would be best. . . for His ultimate, truly best plan. (This in itself is a bit of a joke because it's not as if I actually have the power to carry out any plans of my own!) This should be easy, but somehow it isn't. And so the wait, and the trusting, continues. I'll choose joy!