Joy in the Journey

Last week, I was supposed to be at a conference by the name of this post. I was looking forward to this women's retreat.  A group of women all serving together across the same continent gathered together in South Africa, which I had looked forward to exploring a little. I had been told early in the week that the ladies would be praying for me throughout the retreat. How humbling to have such an amazing group of women lifting me up in prayer. However, all in all, I had not really gotten sad about missing out on that week until Thursday came. 

At our church here, they had a women's ministry dinner. I saw many women who I love dearly and who have shown love for me. It was a beautiful dinner, but it was not South Africa. Oddly enough the topic of the dinner was grief. One of the speakers is a counselor, and she shared on the stages of grief. Not just grief over a loved one's death, but also grief over a job, loss of a friendship, a move, a diagnosis of cancer. As I listened, I gauged where I was on the phases and how I had gone through each one. I got teary eyed as I grieved over the loss of not getting to go that retreat. The second woman to speak talked about her own journey through grief and a program they offer to anyone to help them through their grief as well. Griefshare: Your Journey from Mourning to Joy. Of course, the two words "Joy" and "Journey" were bolder than the rest of the words. I laughed. God was not going to let that one slip by me. 

The afternoon before the dinner, I had sent a message via a friend on Voxer to share with the women at the retreat. They played it for all of the women at the retreat to hear. Several of the women went to her later to send a voxer back to me. Once again, I was humbled by their love for me. 

Don't get we wrong.  I have lots of questions. Why are their miscarriages when God is carefully knitting that baby in its mother's womb? Why are their still births? Why does a child die after only a few days? Why are their birth defects when God is able to create without defect? Why do children get cancer? I believe God has a plan for each and every creation of His because His word says so. He gives us our first breath and our last and every breath in between. 

Life though is a journey. It is full of trials. We don't escape them because we are "good" people. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. James admonishes us to, "Consider it all joy,..when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  We, as followers of Christ, are constantly being shaped and molded into His image if we will allow Him to mold us. Unfortunately, it is those trials that mold us the most. Consider it all joy? Yes, joy that He does not leave me as I am but makes me more of what He intended me to be. 

I like the idea of endurance. So I will consider it all joy in the journey!