Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Tuesday @ Ten - JOY/JOYFUL



Today I am joining my friend, Karen Beth, for Tuesday @ Ten, writing from a prompted word or phrase.  This is one of my favorite blogs to follow; and am excited to see what the new year 2016 will bring!





Today's prompt is:  Joy or Joyful



I have so many great quotes and images in my files - many from Ann Voskamp for my "1000 Gifts" journaling!  This post could be filled with only quotes and images...

But, I'll add a bit of my own writing, as well!

My first thought, because of the season, was the hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee", one of my favorites!



Many of the Christmas carols contain the word "JOY", or lead us to the joyful time of year.

During this time of year, most often we are all joyful, anticipating the holidays that loom so far ahead; yet frazzled because of all that must be done before the holidays appear, so much more quickly than expected!




Yet, there are so many who are suffering in many ways.  It's hard to be joyful when we, or a loved one, are sick; or when we are scared of the future because of a lost job or financial crisis; or we have just lost a loved one...or even lost a loved one years ago but continue to grieve.

It is so hard to continue living a "normal" life in the face of the hard, difficult times we all face at different times in our lives.

But, just as we know He died for us, we can also know that He lives for us and wants us to have Holy Joy; the joy that comes from being thankful to Him for the blessings He bestows upon us - All the time.


As I said...it's hard!  But, He is there to help us all through any situation we may be in, no matter how hard it may be!



So, as we continue to celebrate the birth of our dear Savior, we continue to live our joy, out loud in our soul...





And may we share our joy with others, even as we are aware of the "joy-less" lives they may currently be living; and knowing that God - Immanuel - will be with us, through it all.  

And remember, with God, anything is possible...even finding the joy we may have thought was missing!





So, here for your holiday enjoyment are a couple of my favorite Christmas songs:

"Joy to the World"
Pentatonix




"Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"
from "Sister Act 2" Finale




"Fill us with the light..." and fill us with JOY!

May you have
A Joyful Christmas


2 comments:

  1. I have enjoyed your lovely graphics - and wish you a very happy Christmas, Barbara.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Alexa! I search for graphics that appeal to me...and give credit when I do; these actually had the site on the graphic but I'm not sure it's that clear! Appreciate your reading and commenting!

      Hope your holidays have been awesome...I've enjoyed my family very much!

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