Joy

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness you give to others." I  have recently been thinking about joy and how it relates to prayer.....

When I think of joyful people in my life, I  am sad to say that only a few come to mind.  But, when I think about those particular people, I think about how their joy and happiness seem to permeate me and make me feel the same. I love being around those people. Another thing I have come to notice about joyful people is that just because they are joyful, doesn't mean they are disconnected from the burdens and negative situations. In some cases that might be true, but they do experience disappointment and they are burdened by the struggles in their lives and the lives of the people close to them. But in my eyes, they are truly the people who live out Romans 12:15. They "rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." They are selfless and are in tune with the struggles of life that their loved ones are going through. They pray for them, love them and support them, no matter the cost or convenience to them.

I have been praying, for awhile now, about a situation and have been asking God to really have His way with it. It has been amazing to see what God has done with that situation, from start to finish. God is so good and His ways are so perfect. He is faithful to provide. Even though the situation does not directly involve me, I felt joy because of what God has done in the lives of the people I have been praying for.

When I think of the people in my life who are consistently joyful, my prayer is that one day I will be one of those people to someone else. I pray that my walk with God is that intimate where I can experience joy from other people's joy and answered prayers. To pray for people, to rejoice with them, to mourn with them, that is why I have the relationships that I do. Too often I focus on what I receive or how I feel from friendships and relationships, but what a sweeter way to live if I was simply pleased by what I gave to the relationships... when I give of myself and that is enough.

Halfway

I can't believe it. We are halfway through 2011! Where has the time gone?

I'm currently doing a mental recap of my year thus far and I'm overwhelmed by the experiences that I have encountered to date...

Wednesday will mark my one-year anniversary at my job. It is hard to believe that I was going through training this time last year. Now, it feels like second nature. I remember shadowing on tours, my first move-in day experience and the first day of class as an employee. Then came my first private visit and college fair. The first time I stayed in a hotel by myself, the random and obscure questions that I received from students that no mock fair can prepare you for and trying to navigate my way to my appointment, no thanks to my GPS who, at the time, was having an electronic breakdown have given me such incredible memories and experiences.

I have been hesitant to talk about my singleness, but it is a part of my life so I might as well share about that area of my life with you, as well. I have been single for just over two years. That is a decent amount of time and during that time, and especially this year, I think I have felt every high and low of being single. I have enjoyed having time to focus on my goals and aspirations. I have grown as a person and my relationship with God has been so sweet. Then, there are times when I am overwhelmed with emotion waiting on that man God has for me. There have been times when I thought, "I have found the man of my dreams", only for time to show me that he was really meant for someone else's dream. I was talking with a friend at work the other day and we were discussing the topic of singleness. He was talking about how God prepares us just as much when we are single as He does when we are in relationships. I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. So, no matter how many times I get asked why I am not dating anybody or why I am still single, I am content and confident with where God has me. I am happy and that is exactly what I want my single years to look like.

You know, my list of things I want to accomplish for this year is no where near completion, but this has been a good year so far. Although, it has been a hard and confusing first-half of the year. I have struggled with things, even some that you've read about in my blogs. But, in other ways I have never felt more energized. I am excited about what is in store.

So, with the first half of this year behind us, let's make the second half even sweeter :)