I am here today to share some of my struggles and victories. You know, the parts of my life I am willing to talk about. I believe we are all in this “process of life” together so we can relate to each other in many ways. And we can help each other by sharing what we are learning. I would love to hear from you so I can learn from you.

Ok, so I will lay it all out here. No pretenses, right?

Two main struggles I have been facing are:

1) Where my thoughts go (the things that I readily remember)

2) Where did my joy go?

I am understanding more of the connection between my thoughts and my joy. As I remember the scripture the Lord has already taught me, I pause and thank Him again for His incredible patience and long-suffering with me. And most of all, His eternal Word! It never changes. It is only meant to change me.

When I allow my thoughts to take me randomly and wrongly to memories of the past, I am guaranteed the enemy will remind me of my failures, shortcomings, guilt, and the myriad of hurtful things others have said and done. You know how the enemy of our souls loves to drag us down with those fiery darts in our minds.  In my book Blue Skies, Butterflies, & Battlegrounds my poem “Land of Regrets”(pg. 143) says “They have a way of creeping in, lurking around, My personal space where secrets are bound. Land of regrets taking hold of me, Where thoughts and truth no longer agree.”

The Lord, on the other hand, uses the past for our correction and His good purpose. The Word clearly tells us in Romans 8:1 NKJV “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Or in my poem “ Living On “What If” Lane” (pgs. 110-111). It says a lot about “what if”, but here are some of the verses to consider. “What if we are here by happenstance, Hope for our future we have no chance. Or I’m not good enough so I get what I deserve, You see, it gets more treacherous around every curve! We can go very far, for it is a lengthy lane…Where tormented residents chronically complain.” (Oh, dear Lord, forgive me for my complaining!) My poem goes on to say…“You have to admit you can add to the miles, On the lane that’s bound by the devil’s wiles. But “what if” we heed His call to new direction? On Humble Court yield to correction. Jesus is the way, for we move by His grace, Taking captive our thoughts gives “what if” no space. Believe by faith, leaving “what if” behind, Renewed by His Word residing in peace of mind. We are loved, secure, let Hope remain, Our permanent residence on God’s Truth Lane.” Philippians 4:7 NKJV “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” There are many other scriptures that I have referenced for these poems. It becomes evident that God’s Word and our relationship with Him is how we shut the mouth of the deceiver, freeing us from regrets to live on God’s Truth Lane. No better place to be my friend, for you and me. We can do this by taking captive our thoughts and lining them up with what God has told us in His Living Word.

My Pastor said last Sunday during his sermon  “As I am preaching to you, it is as if I am sitting there with you and the words are coming back to me. Preaching to myself.” Or words to that effect. Now I sit here preaching, reminding, and correcting myself by sharing with you.

So, through the Holy Spirit’s constant reminders of the truth coupled with my obedience to read and meditate on it, I don’t have to struggle with topic #1. I have the power to take those thoughts captive. After all, the Lord has told us what we are to think about. Philippians 4:8 instructs believers to think on those things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, and worthy of praise. If there is anything of excellence and worthy of praise, we are to think on these things. Colossians 3:2 ESV “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” God has done His part, now I do mine.

Another source of help in directing my thoughts is in a book titled “Why the Butterfly?” by Shari Abbott. On the back cover Shari quotes an unknown author, “If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.” If you know me, and my writings, you know that the Lord has revealed some life-changing truths through the analogy of a butterfly’s transformation. But Shari also says, “Don’t let the title fool you. This book isn’t about butterflies …it’s about Jesus—and why rightly remembering is important.” To sum it up we are to remember who God is, what He has done for us, what He commands of us, and who we are in Him. When we remember these truths by rightly remembering, we rejoice… the joy that lives inside of us is restored.

This brings us to topic #2. Where did my joy go?

Another poem I am reminded of is one I wrote that is in my first book Inspire Me. The title is “ Candle of Joy”(pgs. 56-57). Here are a few lines from it. “Now let us define Heaven’s true Joy, through Christ it is our gain   HE died for it, secured it for us, unspeakable Joy REMAIN!   Praying to Him, spending time in His Word, brings us in His Holy Presence,   We listen to Him, follow His truths, Joy is our Lord’s very essence. Trusting in Him, working all things for good, no matter what the circumstances   It’s a promise of God, not what others say, turns our mourning into dancing.   Joy overflows, with confident Hope; it’s truly a gift from above. No matter what life brings us, it transforms us into vessels of LOVE.”

So, yes, it is about the butterfly and Shari acknowledges this in the last chapter of her book. But the Joy through our transformation comes from rightly remembering these most important truths. We can see where our joy went when we take a closer look at what we remember and where we allow those memories/thoughts to go.

I believe I am a good example of the analogy of a woman’s brain being like a plate of spaghetti. Everything is connected. Lol! As I am writing, I noticed an article on my desk titled “Joy Stealers”. I had a cluttered desk and chose to declutter before writing. This paper was the only one left unfiled. Obviously, I am to mention key things that steal our joy. Guilt, fear, anger, discontent, despair, and suffering are the topics that the author Paul Thigpen wrote about. He takes us deeper into God’s Word so that we no longer allow our joy to be stolen.

It is empowering to me and I hope it has been for you too. If you feel led, please leave a COMMENT in the box or on my Connect page. Also, I would appreciate hearing if any of my poems or narratives have helped encourage you in your “process of life”.

Remember, I am learning myself, as I share with you, that our joy is by rightly remembering. That resolves two areas with which I was struggling. Thank you, Lord, and thank you, my friend, for spending this time with me.

I will end with a picture that is a constant reminder of what this blog is about. The framed writing about remembering was a Christmas gift from my eldest grandson and his fiancé. I added the cross in the top left corner. On the cross is written, “Paid In Full”. The painting above is Via Dolorosa (The Road to Calvary). My husband bought this painting during his tour of the Holy Land in 1978. I just love how these three items bring together Joy in Remembering.

Sincerely,

Reba