A Crown of Joy
by heather ~ May 3rd, 2010. Filed under: Katelyn's Fund Events.During our adoption process, I often prayed through scripture for attributes I needed to survive the wait. A few examples of this are:
- a garment of praise (inspired by Isaiah 61:3)
- wisdom & patience (inspired by Proverbs 19:11)
- faithfulness to my Master (inspired by Genesis 24)
God was and is gracious enough to answer me in my distress. I remember one day praying for the "garment of praise” and soon finding myself physically cloaked in inexplicable praise during a particularly difficult event. For days I requested this garment of praise and could feel a very comfortable weightiness around my shoulders and a desire to just proclaim His glory when, by the world’s standards, it would have made a lot more sense to blaspheme His name.
Last week Thursday and Friday I had the great privilege of attending the Christian Alliance for Orphans national conference, Summit VI, in Minneapolis with Katelyn’s Fund co-founder Sheila De Jong and two board members, Tammy Zevenbergen and Wayne Vermeer. To say that the conference was inspiring is putting it lightly! I came away with my cup of joy and hope absolutely overflowing and was (and am) eager to share all I’ve learned with anyone who asks (beware, by the way — my sweet friend Becca patiently listened to 40 minutes of blathering on about Summit VI this morning by yours truly). J
Familiar with the enemy’s ways, I found myself very protective of my newfound joy when I returned home. I turned to scripture and found the exact attribute that I need right now: a crown of joy, inspired by Isaiah 35:10. My crown of joy has already snagged on others’ indifference. It took a little ding from conflicting opinions. And it teetered hazardously on my head when I found my 4 children screaming at each other over rules of a game yesterday! But I pray the Lord sustains me through the testing of my faith and that I am able to wear this crown of joy (true & unadulterated joy growing out of His deep love for the orphan!) for a long, long time.
Do you need a “crown of joy” today? Pray that God will bless you in this way, and enjoy the life-altering effects of true joy in your life. More Summit VI details will be coming in the weeks ahead!
Heather
May 6th, 2010 at 7:06 am
Thanks for the inpiration to conciously keep our joy from the Lord! And I for one, can’t wait to hear all about the Summit!!
May 6th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
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