Dwelling on Good Things

Yay for a Saturday off. My boss thought I'd be upset. And I laugh. :-) Yes, I'm SO thankful for my job...but I laughed indeed. It happened that they weren't busy and were sufficiently staffed. So I get to stay home, clean house and cook food for 30+ people that will be here tonight. Why? To mention a prayer request first: my great uncle (my Grandpa's--Dad's dad--brother) has recently been diagnosed with cancer of glands, but I can't remember which. He's had some health problems for awhile, currently with a clogged artery in his leg. He's smoked all his life, but has lately given that up. His wife has gone to church for years, but only in the past couple has he gone with her and has truly enjoyed it. You can see the glory and the change in his heart (though he's always had a teddy bear one!), and it's humbling to see. But this is a hard time for his wife, kids, grandkids, etc. Please pray for him, and for them all--he's been in such wonderful spirits, and giving the Lord the faith and glory in each step. You can't help but find the joy when you see him, instead of feeling sorry. He's ready for whatever his God leads him through.
He's somewhat the main reason we're getting together tonight--we rarely do this on this side of the family altogether. We get along and such, but the getting-together is really hard to motivate and make happen. So we're praying for a good time with everyone, since it may be a long time before we do it again. Thank you for any prayers!

If RanchWife calls herself a slacker, I don't know what I am! Non-existent? :-)
But lately as I sit down in front of a text box, it seems the words don't come--and if they're negative, I can't bring myself to post them. Please don't become self-conscious now my much-loved bloggers, it's just an issue with me! I want a good, light-hearted, spiritually joyous post everytime--despite the fact that it doesn't need to be the case. There's the ups and downs. Period. No getting around them, and on a positive note: even the downs are for the GOOD. :-)
But it's not that there hasn't been anything going on...perhaps that's why, cause I'm ready for the craziness of life to settle down. We've had graduation, visiting family, a live-in Grandma (which has been wonderful!), work, church, and random/spontaneous/groove-thrower-offers to just make your hair fall out. But the Lord is good, and the river has to come to a still brook sometime we know.

Speaking of dwelling on good things (thanks LeAnna & Jen for listening and sparking the thoughts!), I'll share something that came to mind while reading about Jacob this week; a story I learn from each time I go through it. In the midst of getting frusterated with sisters Leah (who was unloved) and Rachel (who was loved by her husband), I saw something of Leah to think about. In that day in time, the people named their children/land/property after where they were in life. And here is what Leah named her first four sons: "When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah become pregnant and gave birth to..."

Reuben: "Is is because the lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now."
Simeon: "Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too."
Levi: "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons."
Judah: "This time I will praise the Lord."

The repetative nature of the names show that Jacob still didn't favor Leah even after his sons were born (or at least, Leah doesn't feel it). But reading it, I could feel her agony and suffering as it seemed to consume her. Being unloved by the man she was bound to probably consumed her thoughts, consumed her lifestyle, etc, therefore made her miserable. But here, at the birth of Judah (that happens to be the line of David, therefore the line of Christ), she simply praises the Lord. Not because her husband loves her now, because reading further she becomes desperate again as both women offer their servants to produce offspring for them. But she stops--no more dwelling on what she doesn't have, but praising the Lord. It made me wonder about the things we want, wish were different, or any current battles: spiritually speaking, what would we name things if they was based on where our hearts lie? Would it be consumed in what we want, or praising the Lord regardless? It stepped on my toes for one, but it's an encouraging thought still. My God is Sovereign. He's God--and I am not. So our call to higher hope, a hope of glory (Colossians 1:26-27), is to praise Him for the goodness He's ALWAYS working in us.

May that higher hope in your Jesus produce the strengthening joy we're to give account for. :-)
Love and prayers for your weekend,
Jen