Pain and Joy

Today was a good day, and a long day. I am very tired. I am looking forward to going to bed and sleeping for a long time. My day started early this morning with meeting a friend for tea at 6:30am. It was a good thing. Oh, the joy of friendship!

One of the best parts of my day, was holding my new grandson Micah. He and I got to spend a few hours together, and it was a precious time. He slept through most of our time together, but I still thought it was pretty special. When he did wake up, I fed him from a bottle. It was his first bottle experience, and he thought it was mighty good. He took it all in with great enthusiasm, then settled into my arms for another nap. Life is good when one is 3 weeks old! Oh, JOY!

I saw a friend in a lot of pain today, and I felt frustrated that she's suffering, STILL. I want her pain to go away. I keep running to God and I'm asking him to heal her, but she's still hurting. I don't understand! I believe God heals! I believe he will and he can, yet my friend is in pain. What is going on? This is pain on so many levels.

I am listening to a new book as I drive. And, I drive a lot. It seems like today I really drove a lot. The book I'm listening to now is about the love between siblings, raising families, the joys, and the hardships. It has made me think a lot of our older boys when they were little. Sometimes there were days that it felt so long and so hard.  But, then they grew up. They got married, they all have children of their own.  They come to our home and they bring a new joy, and it feels amazing and exhausting. 

When I got home this evening, I couldn't stay long because I had a meal that I needed to deliver to a family. I grabbed my kids and we headed out the door. We delivered the meal and then we went out for huckleberry milkshakes. It was fun. Then we came home and ate melted cheese sandwiches on bogie bread. My kids made a golf course out of yogurt cups in our yard. Fur Ball thinks it's a game to grab the cups and chew them up. My kids find it a challenge to play a game of golf before Fur Ball chews up the cups! We ate our cheese sandwiches and we played golf. It was a joyful time. 

Now, I am so very tired. I am still having a conversation with God about so many things. The pain His children have can be so incredibly unbearable at times. The healing can be so amazing. 

His Kingdom is within me. He has given me all authority. What is holding me back from declaring a healing word everywhere I go? Am I simply accepting sickness?  If the enemy is under my foot, then how can he possibly have any power?

Oh for the Joy of the Lord within my heart may I hear His Word and walk within it! Jesus, keep repeating it to me, please, Say That Again!