Journal Entry ~ 08/16/19

1 Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! 
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD! 
3 May the LORD bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!  - Psalm 134 

We’ve finally reached the last psalm in the study of the Psalm of Ascents. I treasure the last psalm sung during the pilgrimage the Israelites took to Jerusalem as it perfectly wraps up the journey. 

Blessed means happy. Understanding that truth and knowing how many times God speaks about being blessed in His Word has really changed my perspective on God’s plan for our life. He wants us to be happy - He wants us to experience joy in this life, and He clearly tells us how to be happy in this life. 

If we are to be happy, we have to be conscious about what we are doing. God laid out the plan so clearly in scripture for how we are to be happy - yet, so many people are still walking around struggling with despairing or anxious thoughts. God speaks to us so often about how to be happy in scripture, but we ignored it or fail to apply it. 

When I think about my children, I spend so much energy trying to help them make decisions that I believe will ultimately make them happy. In this life, all I really want is for my kids to be happy. It pains me to watch them make decisions that I believe will ultimately lead to their unhappiness...so I offer plenty of advice about how to be happy. Why do I so desperately want my kids to be happy?  Because I love them. 

God wrote a book for us to tell us how to be happy, yet like stubborn children who don't listen, we don't always follow His Words. How much He must love us to tell us how to be happy over and over again! Trust in the Lord, praise Him for His blessings, pray continuously, know His Word store it in our hearts, serve and love others before ourselves - these are the things that bring us blessings. 

But one of the most important lessons we’ve learned is who you journey through life with is going to determine your happiness. If you choose to spend time around unbelievers, you are going to be influenced by them. If we want to be happy, we need to spend time with fellow believers and we need to seek our advice from those believers. In other words, our blessings come from small groups. I couldn't agree more - so very thankful for the bonds I have with all of the Sisters in Christ I know from small groups. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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