God gave me a big surprise this past week when I was looking for something in an old cabinet filled with 'junk' - or so I thought! There to my JOY I found 4 journals from my past that I had written : one in 1994 / two in 1996 / and this one in 1997. I vaguely remembered writing them. The day I found them I took one of them to the Prayer Room and began to read it - each day being filled with SCRIPTURE! Wow! My heart burst open as I saw the very redemption of my life unfolding on its pages. I will share more later from the other journals but it was this one - that God saved for last. With sunflowers on the cover the first page said this:
My "JOY" Book
1997
Stephanie Brower
A very plain and simple title yet this was written 3 years after I had come out of a very sinful time in my life. When I turned back to the Lord, He embraced me with His Word and began a miracle healing process in my life . I didn't realize that my 'JOY' went this far back until I found this journal the other day. I thought that my "Choosing JOY" had only come around 2006 when I began writing it in the updates I was giving to those who were praying for my husband before his home going to heaven. But God... wanted me to see that He had given me my 'JOY ' long before. As I began re-reading this journal, God put it upon my heart to share it with you here. I pray that the entries and Scriptures will bless your heart as much as they did mine all over again.
1st Page Entry [I wrote these words]:
Tuesday, December 31, 1996
It is the last day of 1996. As I sit and
ponder what the New Year will bring, I
am challenged to think about what one thing
would I change about myself to bring
more "JOY" to those around me.
The one thing I want to change is to be
more compassionate. That involves many
aspects; being more tolerant of people; caring
even when it is inconvenient; being more
understanding by putting myself in the other
persons shoes trying to feel what they feel.
I will make this my goal for 1997 ... first
toward my own family; second to friends; and
third to strangers I meet every day.
Page 3 Entry
Wednesday, January 1, 1997
Thy words were found, and I did eat
them; and Thy Word was unto me the
JOY and rejoicing of mine heart: for
I am called by Thy Name, O Lord,
God of Hosts. - Jer. 15:16 KJV
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. - Abraham Lincoln
VALUES
So often folks have wondered why
God has placed on earth
The storms, the tears, the raging seas---
Destroyers of all worth.
But if it weren't for angry skies,
The torrents and dismay,
How could we realize the worth
Of a sunny, cloudless day?
-- Unknown author
Pages 6 & 7 Entry
Thursday, January 2, 1997
Fill your mind with the truths of God's
Word and rely on the Holy Spirit's
moment-by-moment guidance and strength.
Then you'll experience the joy of God's
blessing rather than temporary pleasures.
-Unknown author
With my whole heart have I sought Thee:
O let me not wander from Thy
commandments.
Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that
I might not sin against Thee.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord: teach me
Thy statutes. -Psalm 119:10-12
Dear Father,
Help me to bridle my tongue,
so that on judgment day
I will not be found guilty
of assault with a deadly weapon. -Unknown Author
The foundation of all joy for Christians is that we can live as though Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming tomorrow. -Unknown author
Pretend you're a star *
and poke a hole in someone's darkness.
_______________________________
End 1997 Journal Entry
God chose my 'JOY' before I even knew it!
Choosing JOY [again],
Stephanie
