Fullness of Joy

I know I haven't written in a while, and I don't have time right now to catch everyone up on my life. If you're on Facebook, you can probably piece it all together for yourself anyway. Just look at the pictures!

Last night in Youth Group, Jami (youth pastor) said something that really caught my attention. He said, "We say we believe the Bible, but do we live like it? Do our lives reflect what we say we believe?" He was specifically talking about joy. We say joy is only found in Christ, but how often do we seek joy in other places. He used some examples the students could relate to, such as seeking joy in an X-Box or a new cell phone.

I thought about that for a while last night, and then this morning I was reading in Psalm 16:11 (which I've read a million times before) where it says: "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." It reinforced what I'd been thinking about last night.

My joy can only come from being in Christ's presence. In fact, joy is a fruit of the Spirit's work in my life! (Gal 5:22-23) I tend to find my joy in people. I have an incredible, loving family, great Christian friends, and the most awesome boyfriend in the world. However, none of those people can be where my joy is based. It has to be rooted in Christ. All these others are just blessings on the side which He has graciously given me.

Kind of a lot to think about, but a reminder I needed.

And, I'm kind of in a writing mood, so maybe (no promises) I'll write more later and bring y'all up to date on my life.