It is well

Give thanks, with a grateful heart

Give thanks, to the Holy One

Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now, let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich, because of what the Lord has done for us."

Give thanks

O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me;

Let them bring me to Thy holy hill,

And to Thy dwelling places.

Then I will go to the alter of God,

To GOD MY EXCEEDING JOY;

And upon the lyre I shall praise Thee, O God, my God.

Psalm 43:3-4

Joy comes from a heart that knows God.

 - acknowledging who He is and what He has done.

 

"How are you?"

What a crazy question.

Isn't that the hardest question to answer sometimes?

At one moment I might say, "great!", 

but 5 seconds later I might say, "I'm pulling my hair out!"

:)

Because I feel exhausted or am in pain most of the time I can rarely answer that question with a truthful, "good."

But as I've had to answer that question a zillion times I've come to realize that it is less about the physical well being and more about the spiritual and emotional well being.

 

I can have a rough day physically but still say, "It is well with my soul."

 

Some days I say "it is well" quickly and confindently.

 

Other days it takes time to center my focus on Christ and the truth of what it means to say, "It is well with my soul."  

Circumstance and life in general can be stormy but my soul, being anchored in Christ can say,"It is well."

 

"I Will Rise"

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise

The past three days I have had more energy than normal.  It still means I'm talking naps in the morning and being careful to not do too much...but 3 days in a row is something to be thankful about!

 today we're headed off for a weekend of camping and watching Andrew compete in a half-iron man triathlon.