Step Up For JOY

First let me apologize for my lack of updates- I've been in and out so much my head is spinning and when I went to update my blog on Sunday I realized I had no internet service. I was without cable of any kind from Sunday @ 3pm until Tuesday @ 3pm and I must say it has been quite a frustrating experience (thanks to TW Cable) but that's another blog and probably much more under the topic- unfabulousness or much more suited for Ramblings. But I bring it up because it is what started my day on a sour note.

The cable guy was to come to my house on Monday before five but no show, no call. Other than a quick trip to the vet with Noelle (who I'm sad to say has had a puppy virus) I was home and had my cell with me the entire time. I called that evening and was told I was rescheduled from Monday to Wednesday or Thursday. They didn't call me I remind you, I called them. I am heading out of town and I DON'T HAVE CABLE OR INTERNET...my life support system. Now they're telling me that if I am not going to be in town I may have to wait until NEXT WEEK. I'm trying to make this short and sweet...I was fuming and didn't sleep much Monday night and I had not really slept on Sunday either and on top of it all I haven't felt well and have kind of been run down. The Monday night Time Warner guy told me to call on Tuesday morning, etc. The first Tuesday morning guy was the guy who had given me all the false hope in the world on Monday morning and frustrated me to know end telling me it would indeed be later in the week before my cable was restored. So I called back...a very nice supervisor had mercy on me and told me (even if it was only what I wanted to hear) that I would indeed receive a service call TODAY and he didn't understand why Micheal had not noticed that I was on the schedule. I felt I was holding on to false hope. I was dragging and very tempted not to go to Bible Study. I was going to be late, very late but I am going to miss next week and I wanted to get there. My Tuesday Bible Study group is the bright spot in my week. Beth Moore hits me dead on each time and the lovely women who attend this Bible Study brighten my spirits and give me a restored faith in humanity in general. I dug deep...I made it in time for the Beth Moore part of the study.

The first words out of Beth's mouth were something like "We're going to taste some JOY today"; release it and experience complete joy. Admittedly I grumbled, hung my head...realized I only had some crystal light and not my Diet Pepsi Max caffeine jolt. Sigh. Okay, it looks like rain, it's turning cool and I have this cable crisis on my brain. My joints hurt, my stomach isn't real happy but I had taken the proper pill and sat up straight thinking "listen Natalie...just hold tight and listen."

Deuteronomy 16:15 (flip flip, shuffle pages; let's see what God is going to tell me)"For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete." Okay, maybe the cable guy is coming? Maybe this crystal light will pump me up and I'll feel better. I'm listening, I haven't fled the scene yet. We went through the good news and the waving of the palms and the Messiah's arrival on the donkey and all the amazing history and how all that page flipping makes me see the prophecy fulfilled and honestly every time I go in, I come out full. My joy is at least glass half full, but usually I'm perky Natalie and today I've been grumpy with the Time Warner man and I'm running on fumes so how is my joy glass going to run over by the end of the day?

Moving on to John 8:12..."When Jesus spoke again to the people he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." Okay, I could use some light. It's dark and dreary at this point and I'm still pretty mellow but I am all up for Beth and feeling that my cup is going to run over with 20 minutes and counting. I'm not quite on the joy express but at this point I've realized that my cable isn't such a crisis and my bones don't hurt quite as bad so I've bought a ticket, sitting a little taller but still feeling a bit stressed.

Next we looked at John 7:37-38 Jesus said "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture said, streams of living water will flow within him." Okay...I need some living water (since no Pepsi Max is handy). The celebration of water pouring and the streams of living water. Visualize. I closed my eyes and imagined Jesus pouring this living water over me...The Holy Spirit filling me up as cold water woke me up rushing over me. Boy did I need someone to pour some water over me. I was getting it...but I wasn't getting it. Why couldn't I shake my mood? Look and listen to all these wonderful promises of God...

Listening to Troy sing at the end I just got kind of lost. Hello!?! I thought I going on this joy ride, stepping up this morning yet for some reason I was still a bit grumpy. :( It wasn't as down in the dumps, my mood had lightened for sure just not quite as joyous as I felt I should be after reading some pretty significant passages from the Bible. What's a girl to do? So was I going to lunch with the group? Ummm...No. Ummm...Maybe... Well, I'll go sit, but I won't eat. At least talking to Andy and MaryAnn made me laugh. Good start.

When I arrived at ABC I ran into my aunt, uncle and friend. It was great talking to them. My aunt (praise the Lord) has just gotten a good report from another bout with an ovarian cancer recurrence and looks great. Her words were encouraging and we talked about my potentially talking to a girl suffering from Crohns. She mentioned some things we had in common, some sad things, but lots of blessings to remember. Work with me now because God is picking me up.

Then I ate with the most wonderful group of ladies from my Bible Study. Mitzi, Louise, Danna, Mrs. Lurie, Amelia, Sarah Bennett- I don't think you know how much I treasure each and every one of you and have felt blessed just getting to know you and ALL the ladies in the Tuesday morning study. Everyone wanted to hear about my Birmingham plans and everyone was a cheerleader. J-O-Y rising and rising. While we were there I saw some other uplifting people- Mindy & JD, Paula, Mary & Mrs. Hackman, Amanda Faulk. So Mitzi pointed out how many sweet people there are in the world and the next time somebody gets on our nerves we can think of all these various people. The conversation meter was way above uplifting and by the time I left after talking to Paula and her mother, I was bouncing out the door. The 'sun' wasn't shining but the SON was shining.

The rest of my day was wonderful...the sun came out eventually. My cable got fixed. Noelle did great in puppy class and I got to see Maddy. I visited a bit with Courtney, I was productive in the mass clean out of my home and I think I made a couple of people smile today. Since my ultimate blessing and restoration of good health, my 'Good Day Meter' is based on making people happy and making someone else smile. I went to the gym and I'm still pumped writing this. God is good and He certainly gave me a shot of JOY today. I'm so happy I rolled out of bed and Stepped Up. Indeed God kept His promise and my cup ran over with Joy :)

This blog is for the beautiful women of Tuesday morning "Stepping UP"...all ages, all stages of life. MaryAnn for blessing us with her leadership, all those who attend and Mitzi for reading my blog and encouraging me to keep it up! And of course, Beth Moore (who I feel like I know personally) for writing all her wonderful work. Merci beaucoups :)

To close I intentionally left out the second verse we read this morning because it sums up what I'm feeling now and what I hope to remind myself every morning whether or not I have tv & internet, whether or not I feel okay and even if the sun is not shining. Psalms 118: 24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

This IS the day that the Lord has made...REJOICE & Be Glad!!! :)
If we only step up to receive God's blessings, He will give us the ride of our lives and our joy will be full.