Joy Along the Journey

So here we are nearly 2 months into my experiment, and some things are indeed better. My eating hasn't changed as much as I'd hoped, tv habits have changed some, but not as much as they should. I have introduced some omega-3 foods into my diet, based on some things I've read, and sure enough, I am noticing a more positive outlook. I am seeing the difference. Joe asked me this morning to remind him of my goal. (we've been sitting down for a filling breakfast together lately, that has been good...) I've finally distilled the goal down to "to give Joe the best me I can give him." He smiled and said he would be praying for that. I took a bit of a shortcut for my 2 books this month since I'm down to the wire for the month... I am in the middle of 3 other books, all very close to the finish, but I read a novel earlier in the month and today finally finished one of the 88 page books Steve got us all for Christmas, "In Our Joy." The book really distills the Christian life pretty well, and at first I was thinking, "yeah yeah, I know all this already." But when I took time to quiet my heart and listen to what God had to speak to me through it, got some real important pieces out of it... I am a fan of distilling words... don't put in tons of extra fluff that's going to confuse me, just give me your point... so here are some points I got out of it..
1: Don't think of striving to get His favor. Think of striving with the favor of His help. 2: Forgiveness of sins and justification are at the bottom of our striving. We do not strive for them. We strive because we have them. 3: The mark of a true follower of Jesus is not yet perfection but rather an unrelenting battle of sin.
I am realizing that I am in many ways a perfectionist. Usually in many of the wrong areas. But my need for perfection is not so God would love me and accept me. That has already happened. I must strive to perfect my love for Him, resting in the knowledge that even that will not be achieved while I am here on earth. Lord move my motivation to you!
On a side note, I started my 'service small group' last night. Cooking classes and dinner thrown in with a short lesson from the Bible. I had 4 teenage girls sign up and a co-worker who is desperate to learn how to cook. (He recently moved in to an apartment with another intern guy so he's worried he'll starve...) and another co-worker whom I wasn't expecting but am excited to get the joy of knowing. Please pray over Trudy, Taylor, Danitra, Chaiylah (Kay-la), Daija (day-ja) and Will. That they may find our home a safe haven and that I would be able to love them as the Lord loves them. Pray also that the Lord comes through with a bigger house soon... including Joe, last night, we squeezed 8 folks around our kitchen table and a couple of tv trays.
Things I learned last night.... Trudy's grandma died before she was born. Most of the other girls have some sort of continuation of family, also ironic that they seemed to respond to the Grandma question singularly. Not sure how many have father's in the picture, let alone a grandma on dad's side... Also, up until recently Chaiylah lived with an aunt. She lived there because her mother had perished in a house fire. Trudy is a ball of energy held back by a huge smile. Her self-proclaimed schedule is sleeping and eating. Anything I mentioned eating she had a sauce or topping that she had to eat it with. An african-american girl, she loves adobo, usually a hispanic seasoning. She is bold, joyful and says 'salt' like a cross between 'soy' and 'salt'-- 'soilit'. Chaiylah is a beautiful spirit, well spoken and willing to participate in anything. She went out to Colorado on a mission trip this year and was touched by a mom from the church's neighborhood who told her that due to a death in the family, she had left the church, but thanks to Chaiyah and the team, she would be coming back to church. She was my last drop off of the night, so I got to hear how injustice towards people bothers her. She told me of reading about Jamaica, where there are so many beautiful resorts but if you go out of the gates, you can be robbed just because someone sees you with something they don't have so they take it. We talked about the devastation in Haiti, and how there was no one to help them. Her heart breaks for those in pain. I'll get photos later and will give you updates on the others later... Just pray. I have a feeling they may be part of my lifeline back to me....