December 12-Count it Joy

Yes, it IS Tuesday in Mexico and probably wherever you are as well! I flew into Chihuahua early yesterday morning and it was a beautiful “welcome back!”. The sun was just coming up red over the snow peaked mountains—amazing. However, once the bags were packed in the car, we had only gone a little ways down the road and had a flat tire! Hurray. And it was the same tire that I had ruined the night before we left Oklahoma. I didn’t have time to get a new tire, so I was running my spare, which I thought was a good tire. That, mixed with no sleep, set the schedule really behind. 


In this world we have trouble, but isn’t it great to know we serve a God who has over come the world? Adversity, trials, tribulations are not something we can avoid and we will have stress (especially this time of the year). But it’s often in the wilderness seasons of this high stress and distress times when we look for meaning and God’s plan in our lives. 


As a Christian, we expect to enjoy the abundant life of Christ but we can’t be so naive as to believe that we won’t have flat tires along the way. In fact, it’s the thing we should expect, especially if we are truly living for Christ because we know that weapons WILL be formed against us. But the rest of the story??


“No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is from Me.” This is the Lord’s declaration.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:17‬ ‭HCSB‬‬


So for me? I try to alway remember what James so clearly tells me. 


“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬


So I counted that tire joy...and that Johnny’s Off Road in Grove stayed open past business hours to give me a good spare the night before I left Grove...JOY...and that Ton was there to change the flat...JOY, JOY...and that Martin fixed it for 50 pesos...JOY...Pure joy straight from the Throne of Grace to help me learn to persevere and so that I may be mature and complete. 


Today, when you feel stressed or in distress, count it all Joy, pure joy helping you learn to persevere so that you may be complete. 


Love you dear friend, 

Pam, South of the Border

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