My Birthday Celebration

I am still reading Happiness, maybe halfway through. I am really enjoying reading and thinking on this subject. Of course, after posting last Sunday about how we can be happy and suffering at the same time, I hit bottom on Monday. But as the week went on, God graciously continued to minister to me, picking me up and encouraging me in my walk with him. 

My journal entries for the week:

February 7
The book of Psalms is an instruction manual for living a truly happy life. "Blessed" means "happy." Jonathan Edwards on Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed (happy) are the pure in heart for they shall see God." It is a thing truly happifying to the soul of man to see God." I love that word: happifying!
William Barclay said, "The beatitudes say in effect, 'O the bliss of being a Christian!...O the sheer happiness of knowing Jesus Christ as Master, Savior and Lord! The very form of the beatitudes is the statement of the joyous thrill and the radiant gladness of the Christian life. In light of the beatitudes, a gloom-encompassed Christianity is unthinkable." 

February 8
God is the author of all true happiness, the donor of all true happiness, the maintainer of all true happiness and the center of all true happiness...therefore, he who has God for his portion is the only happy man in the world. (Thomas Brooks quoted in Happiness)

 February 9
Looking forward to future happiness brings us present joy...God's people experience delight when they celebrate him and his gifts.
Psalm 94:19 - "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."

February 11
Solzhenitsyn in Cancer Ward: "Happiness in suffering often comes as an infusion of grace in our hearts, a gift from the God of happiness. Suffering by its nature is never easy, but no one has greater joy than those who know Christ and believe his promise that present suffering will be followed with eternal glory and happiness."

February 12
Karl Barth: "Joy and grace are virtually inseparable. To be joyful is to expect that life will reveal itself as God's gift of grace...to be joyful means to look out for opportunities for gratitude." There's no greater reason for our happiness than God's grace.

Then I was reviewing the Beatitudes and had to stop when I got to "Blessed are those who mourn." If you substitute the word "happy" for "blessed", you have: "Happy are those who mourn." That seems so contradictory. But the rest of the verse explains how we are happy when we mourn, "for they will be comforted." I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 where we are told that God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." Ah yes, he is the God of all comfort. And I have experienced his wonderful comfort when I mourn. 

There are so many verses that demonstrate God's comfort and care:
Psalm 145:14 - "The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down."
Psalm 145:18 - "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."
Psalm 116:1 - "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy."

Really all of Psalm 116 is rich with God's care as we struggle with life and death issues. 

These verses just scratch the surface of God's comfort in our troubles. And of course, we have the example of Jesus in his own suffering who endured without complaining, and advocates our case to the Father, interceding for us and administering grace to help in our time of need.

By mid-week, Andy was starting to seem a little more alert and with it. I started quizzing him every morning. "Do you know who I am today?" He almost always answered with my name. Then I would ask him how I was related to him. One morning he said he thought I was his second cousin. I'm not sure if he was teasing or serious, and I didn't probe on that one. On Friday as we were driving to work, he asked me if we were going to go get Phyllis. I wasn't quite sure what to answer. At first I said no, I'm not...then I followed it up with admitting that I was Phyllis. 

Yesterday was my birthday, so I'm now another year older. I can't believe how old I am, (although don't expect me to admit just how old on the internet!). It was a wonderful day with all our kids and all eleven grandkids coming to our house for lunch. What a blessing that we all enjoy being together. The cousins have fun playing together and the adults enjoy conversation.

Of course, Cole was the main attraction. Everyone had turns holding him.

The youngest & the oldest

Kasey wanted me to hold her and it was an honor. But she is heavy and after a while, my hip was getting sore. So I turned her around in order to hold her with both arms. She wasn't sure about that position. Don't you just love that face???

It's quiet again at our house today. We just stayed home and rested...it was way too cold to go outside. I think the high was only about 21 degrees. When I looked at the thermometer early this morning it was not quite 7 degrees. Now that is COLD. 

Being with family yesterday filled up my tank and I'm ready for another week. Bring it on!