Joy in the journey!

Today I celebrated my 34th birthday.  And although I do not have 34 years worth of wisdom to share with you right now I just had one thought on my heart. 

Learning to enjoy the FULL BOUNTY of GODS AMAZING GOODNESS. 

 I feel like the last several years for us have been so filled with striving, stress, economic strain, massive changes and challenges!  

Just since 2009 we have moved to Colorado from Alaska where we sold a home we had just spent 4 years adding on to and remodeling as well as having our first two babies. Moved into my parents place for 3 months since Colorado was a temporary stop over before moving overseas to do volunteer work.  Left our stuff in storage and packed what we could in suitcases and moved our family of 4 to a remote island in Vanuatu located in the South Pacific for an undetermined amount of time.  We also spent our lives savings on a beach property there in Vanuatu with the dream to develop a bungalow style mini resort and build our home there.  Enjoyed working with Youth with a mission a Christian foreign aid ministry but struggled dramatically with finances wondering where our next rent payment would come from as our saving ran out.  Then adopted a baby girl from birth with only 3 weeks notice into a village home with out running hot water and VERY limited cooking facilities and NO laundry facilities (which comes in handy with cloth diapers!!) on a non existent income.

 

3 months later we found out we were pregnant with our happy surprise who is baby number 4.  Then struggled with our adopted daughters paperwork (still in the works as far as American Citizenship  is concerned).

 From there we came home to the US for a "visit"  that turned into a permanent move into the economy we are all now struggling with.  We lived with my parents off and on for almost a year while we tried to find work and find a little home. 

While we are still waiting for out land to sell (please pray!!) we have purchased a cute little fixer upper that is currently in the works.  We have been blessed to part of starting a telecommunications business with my AMAZING parents where we now live only a few miles from my them.  The business is still in the growth stages so income is still tight but the potential is really starting to show as business picks up and that is exciting!

Why did I go into all that?  To tell you what I learned in the midst of it all... Life can be hard and taxing and confusing but NEVER ONCE did GODS FAITHFULNESS leave us.  In the middle of every little or big trial GOD was there encouraging, providing. and blessing us with little and big surprises along the way. 

I am really feeling God saying ENJOY THE BOUNTY don't get hung up with the little stuff!  Joy really IS in the journey and not the destination.  We truly can relax, trust and ENJOY what we do have before us rather than stress about what we don't!

These are the faces of little ones who GET it! 

My little ones who I have a lot to learn from.  The Bible says for a reason...

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." (Matthew 18: 3-5)

 

 

These guys know how to enjoy the journey and see the wonder in all the little moments.  I want to be there.  I want to be free to trust my GOOD and loving Heavenly Father with the details and go enjoy what I have so generously been given!

I hope this post will inspire you to look around and ENJOY, and trust God with your finances, health and struggles.  Look to see what you have to be thankful for and I bet you will see the undeniable bounty that we have.

The faces of Joy!