Joyful Day

I did not open a single present on Christmas, yet I feel like I was given more than I could ever imagine or ask for.  God richly blessed me with a sweet family in Christ to celebrate with and answered so many prayers that day.

My birthday today began with the reminder again that the best gifts are the ones from God, and are often not tangible.  I was scheduled to work, and at 5:55am my work called and said I could have the day off!!!!!  Yay!!  Time is an awesome gift from God, a sweet opportunity to rest and reflect on the past year and the year to come.

So 5 minutes later I was dressed and driving with Brittany to morning prayer, another of my favorite things that work usually prohibits me from doing.  We meditated on thanking God for His righteousness.  How great it is to worship a God who is always right, who does and says nothing out of mean or selfish motives.  He is Lord over everything.  We pored over Psalm 95 and I saw something beautiful: a call to worship and give thanks with song, a reminder of the greatness of creation, a call to bow and kneel to a God who shepherds us, and a reminder to not harden our hearts when we hear His voice.  A call to not test God, but instead to remember what He has done, how He has been faithful in the past.

In the beautiful, living words of God, I was overcome with joy.  This week I had to give up something I wanted because God had spoken and He is Lord.  I was tempted to ignore His voice and “test” Him, but I acted in obedience even though part of  me was pulling in the other direction.  I remember the fruit of obedience in this area, I remember how He has so faithfully protected and provided for me in the past, and I’m thankful that His Spirit is stronger than my flesh and my rebellion against His voice.

The Holy Spirit is the best birthday gift ever.  Sitting on my living room floor when I got home, I got to play guitar and sing praises to Jesus, for His death on the cross, for reconciliation and redemption, for God’s strength triumphing over everything in me that opposes Him.  I am overflowing with joy.

My birthday wish and prayer is that this year will be a year of joy.  That it will be overwhelmingly more than any other year yet, that my joy will overflow in seeing God in His Word, in ministry, and in answers to prayer.  I’m excited to commit to praying for people specifically in order to see God work and answer and reveal Himself.

I worship You

I give thanks to You

My life is not my own

You are the source of my joy

Today is my sabbath and I woke up to the rare treat of snow falling.  The buses did not come up the hill, and after waiting a while in the snowy blizzard, Brittany and Aileen came back home.  Determined to get them to work, we bundled up and set out on a slippery snowy adventure in Aileen’s car.  I got to practice my long forgotten Idaho snow driving skills…plenty of “turning into the slide”.  We had a great slide off Denny way, but somehow gained control and made it up the hill to get Brittany to Virginia Mason.  Then it was back down to 2nd and Union, almost turning the wrong way down a one-way due to the crazy lack of visibility.  The most providential was safely getting back up to the top of Queen Anne.  God totally answered prayers and got me home, slipping all the way, but somehow missing all the parked cars!!!

The view from my front door

Any beautiful day necessitates a walk to Kerry Park for the view

I thank God for them!!

LeEllen started coming to our church when I was in high school.  My friends and I called her “glamour girl” because she always had beautiful dresses and makeup.  She was tall and beautiful, and her spirit was so warm, inviting, and incredibly loving that we all wanted to be like her. 

I don’t remember LeEllen before she was dating Jeff.  We always kinda smiled because he was just a bit shorter than her.  He was young in his faith when we first met him and would come to our house for Bible studies and ask awesome questions.  Jeff was a great listener and he loved God passionately.  While they were dating, our family went camping with them in the Seven Devils mountains in Idaho.  It was so fun hiking and hanging out with them even though they were at least 10 years older than me.  They both loved me well by listening and sharing their lives openly.  We had some great talks in those mountains.  I remember LeEllen talking about dental floss.  I’m sure she was the most loving dental hygienist that ever existed, she was a patient teacher and so enthusiastic.

My junior year of high school, Jeff and LeEllen got married.  My mom and I helped at their gift table.  It was a sweet ceremony with a time in the middle where people in the audience stood up and shared blessings, memories, compliments, and encouragement.  They were filled with joy.  After the ceremony and reception, we hung around with their parents and siblings to watch them open wedding gifts.  It was the only time I’ve ever seen that, and it was super fun.  I was honored to be included in that.

I graduated from high school, went through college, and moved to Seattle.  Through those years whenever I saw them, they consistently loved me by asking good questions, listening well, and sharing wisdom and truth about the love of God.  The day after I turned 25, a friend and I celebrated New Years at their house with Jeff’s awesome Italian parents.  We laughed lots and enjoyed their 2 sweet little boys Peter and Alex.

I don’t remember when LeEllen was diagnosed with Lymphoma.  I just know it’s been a long long road.  The first time, she went through chemo and went into remission.  Then, in the past year, it has come back and progressed despite various treatments and multiple trips out of state and country for more treatment options.

This picture was taken in May when I went home for my brother Will’s baptism.  Jeff, LeEllen and their 2 boys Peter (7) and Alex (5) came to witness and celebrate with us.  We hung out by the river where he was baptized for a long time afterwards catching up on life.  LeEllen was more sweet and beautiful than ever.  She and Jeff told about how her struggle changed drastically after visiting a church in California.  A woman who was a total stranger asked to pray with her there, and through that prayer and conversation, she saw the value, beauty, and glory of God more clearly than ever before.  In the years and months struggling with cancer, she wrestled with God, wanting to live to take care of her boys, wondering why her? and why this?  In that time of prayer she grasped the goodness and sovreignty of God, she trusted Him and surrendered her life completely to Him.  The questions remained unanswered but the wrestling was done.  He is good, He is who He says, He Himself suffered, sacrificed, and died because He loves us too much to let us die eternally, He wants to be with us forever.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”  Psalm 42:5

I am so thankful that I have known LeEllen, thankful that I have seen Christ so clearly through her, in her marriage to Jeff, in her incredible faith and her rejoicing in sharing in the sufferings of Christ.