The JOY of the Lord is my strength!
Nehemiah 8:10 b
My husband Mike and I recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. Thirty five years! Wow! As everyone says, “It seems like yesterday….” That’s a picture of us at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. He still twitter-pates my heart!
We tell people all the time that “life is too short not to enjoy every moment” We also tell them “life is too short to be crabby!”. We are determined to find joy – sometimes you have to look pretty hard for it.
We have learned to laugh at our mistakes and our weaknesses. We have learned not to take things so seriously. And we have learned that this too shall pass. That was a great comfort as we travailed with teenagers!
Through the years, we have come to know the true JOY of knowing Jesus. With the ups and downs and ins and outs of a marriage relationship and family, Mike and I have found that knowing Jesus intimately has increased joy in our lives.
God taught us from the very beginning that He wanted to be a part of our every day lives. As we learned to really trust Him in the matters of life, our joy was made full.
And of course we are always learning.
Everything that comes along is an opportunity to learn more about God’s character, His faithfulness, His love for us, His grace that abounds, His peace that passes all understanding and His joy that is our strength.
In the past 35 years, we have seen God’s faithfulness and goodness to us in the midst of life’s circumstances. We stand in agreement with the Psalmist when he said that he has never seen the righteous forsaken or begging for bread. (Psalm 37:25)
I’m so thankful that we can have an intimate relationship with a very personal God.
Blessings to you as you press in to know Him more intimately in your life.
By: Mary Ulffers
