Choose Joy

Have you ever had the feeling like you have missed out on someone wonderful in your life and now it’s too late to experience that? Over the past three or four days I have realized that. I learned a lot in this past 72 hours or so about Sara, also known as Gitzen Girl. Sara is getting ready to go and be with Jesus. She has had Ankylosing Spondylitis for fourteen years and suffers with tremendous pain. Sara has been housebound in a her condo for at least three years. Imagine that? Never being able to leave your home, to feel the sun on your skin or the wind blow through your hair again. Yet, Sara has lived through this with dignity and much joy. In fact Choose Joy is her motto. She has this most amazing picture that she painted on her wall at home. In honor of her many of her friends are getting choose joy tattoos.

I haven’t been able to get Sara out of my mind since the beginning of this week and I am praying for her. Even though she never left her home, God gave her the beautiful gift of being able to bless people from it, and I believe she has been blessed so much through other people. Please keep Sara, her family and friends in your prayers.

In her blog posts she speaks of living in the now, embracing life and choosing joy. She is an encourager who chooses to see the positive in things. This is her definition of joy:

the unwavering trust that God knows what He’s doing and has blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of it… not despite what’s happening in my life but because of it. When everything earthly feels heavy He gives me an internal lightness that can’t be touched.

I feel really challenged by Sara to live in the now and enjoy life today. At this time, I feel so much pressure in life, and I know that I have not been living joyfully for some time, due to circumstances. I need to choose joy.

I’ve read Sara’s posts on [In]Courage, but until this week had not visited her blog. I’m sad that I hadn’t. I’ve missed out on a precious gift. I thank God for Sara and pray that she will be at complete peace.

Alece posted a verse on her Twitter account yesterday for Sara, Zephaniah 3:17 “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” This is one of my favourite bible verses. It speaks about an exuberant joy that God has for His children. He delights in us. The Hebrew word used is Yagil which means to spin around. I love that picture of God spinning around above us in joy.

Sara, I think God is spinning around above you in joy right now. Thank you for your example, for showing us how to live, even in the face of adversity.