Let's make a choice!

Wasn't Erin poignant on Thursday? She was precisely on target for the role we wives play in our husband's lives.

Despite the current circumstances, we can choose to have joy or to be miserable. You know the saying, "..if Mom's unhappy, nobody's happy!" or "The woman sets the mood of the home." I might have changed the wording a bit but they mean the same thing. That means that as wives and moms, we hold great power within our homes. It seems to be within our power to choose what the tone of our homes will be.

I believe that when we submit ourselves to God and His desires for our roles as wives and moms, then He can intervene and guide us along that path.

As a mentor couple for "Hope for your Marriage," Bill and I see couples who have endured years of painful suffering they can't seem to get beyond so as a mentor couple we join with the Lord as He works in their hearts to turn damage around to forgiveness and eventually they can once again experience joy together. But they have to begin by making a choice to submit their own wills to the Lord and let Him begin anew in their relationship. At this point they are willing to do so because what they have been choosing has not worked for them.

In tender compassion we can lovingly show these hurting couples that by choosing joy as a first response, no matter what circumstance is looming, we can turn the outcome around and enable God to be glorified.

I am not suggesting that this is an easy task. What I am suggesting is that we as women have the choice to glorify God in our marriage or not. Our heavenly Father is delighted when we choose to rally with Him and take the first steps to edifying Him in our efforts as wife and mom.

My thanks to Erin for sharing with us. It was an inspiring message of hope and genuine truth about our role as a wife.

I am challenging us all in the next few weeks to be deliberate in our choices! God designed the marriage plan. He is the head of our relationship. Let's give it over to Him and see what He has in store for us as half of a most intriguing and unique gift...the success of our marriage relationship.

Love & Joy to you..... Janice..♥

"Joy" returning.....

"I was numb for a long time. I could not feel anything but bitter anguish. I remember the day I knew I was healing. Our dog, Sadie, looked at me wagging her tail, hoping for a bit of response. I felt a flicker in my heart. I smiled at her immediately recognizing what that flicker was, it was love, returning to my veins. It didn't gush in all at once, it trickled through my body in small ripples. Then, a laugh would come, I started to sense "JOY" once again. It wasn't outward, but a lightening inside of me. I was beginning to feel better, hopeful, even joyful at times. I would never be the same person, how could I? But "I" was coming back. This probably took a few years as I began the journey back to feeling somewhat 'normal' again."

I guess you could call that a teaser. It's from my writings that I someday hope to publish as a book. I was re-reading some parts this morning as I came across that word, 'joy.'

As I sit here this morning I can re-call that very moment when Sadie and I stood face to face and I remember that 'flicker' inside of my heart. That day God used 'mans best friend' to comfort me.

This was during an extreme time in our lives as our oldest son lay traumatically injured in a near by hospital.

I made a choice that day to allow Sadie to reach the most tender & aching parts of my soul. She was safe. I could sit, let her nuzzle against me, pet her and cry despairingly as she loyally sat next to me, not a word spoken. Dramatic things were happening. God knew the time had come for me to turn a corner. It was a baby step toward choosing a moment of joy over remaining numb.

If you don't have a pet like Sadie for God to use in your life, don't worry. He'll use something else or someone or some other way, but He will come to you...unannounced, subtle, loving as He is and He will bring you 'joy,' in it's purest form.

Just be ready.

Wishing you all a bit of 'joy' this week.........Janice ♥

'Joy' comes in many forms....

Thursday morning as I readied myself for the first day of "Moms and More," I was feeling nervous, unworthy, unprepared..the usual 'first day' emotions. Running through my mind was a myriad of thoughts like, "was I supposed to decorate my table? Is it in the fellowship hall? What if I don't know any of the ladies? What should I wear? Wasn't I supposed to be there early? oh, bad hair day..! Why am I doing this?" Does any of that sound familiar to you?

I took a deep breath & just ask the Lord to calm me and take my thoughts off of myself. Then I started to pray for the women that would also be getting ready, all over town. I just ask Him to protect all the women so they would arrive safely, that all the young children would be cooperative & willing, that the moms of young ones could be ready & not too rushed. I prayed for the leaders, for Shannon, as I figured she was up very late 'thinking.' I asked Him to bless the morning, that His work could be accomplished through many & that we could glorify Him in our attempts to bring this new ministry to fruition.

It is amazing what happens when we take the focus off of ourselves and put it onto others.

What a tremendous JOY it was for me to see all those ladies coming into the fellowship hall to gather! After meeting up with the ladies who would be at my table, some old friends and some I was meeting for the first time, I knew that our faithful Lord had set a time in motion for us to meet and be together. We laughed, talked, ate and cried. We sat with one another in the presence of our Father and allowed our lives to intersect for just that time. It was good. It was definitely joyful. Isn't it awesome how our Father in Heaven knows what we need before we do?

It was pure joy for me to see all those lovely women hugging, sharing and enjoying some essential time together in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! He must have been smiling!

I think we are going to experience some great times of growth, understanding, wisdom, learning, stretching, exploring, worship, edification, just being ourselves with sisters in Christ and I do think we will be experiencing some great JOY!

I look forward to seeing all of you next time!

Love & Joy..........Janice ♥

Comments.....

..through the years during the ups and downs of normal day to day living, I've had to go in search of 'joy.' Many times it seemed elusive to me and exclusive to others. I'd wonder, "why can't I be happy, satisfied, successful?" In the midst of my search, I found 'joy' lurking within the turmoil combined with all the other emotions I had previously sent packing, like they were being stirred within an enormous pot at the root of my soul. Once I identified that 'joy' came without conviction, that my Lord & Savior had given it to me freely with His gracious love..it became so abundant to me that even in the midst of heartache I could feel the 'joy' welling up inside of me. It is puzzling how we can actually be in pain but feel joy at the same time. Of course, we are women and capable of so much..! God knew what HE was doing when He created Eve with all her ways, complex yet simple. I now look for 'joy' in each day. It's like God has iced a special cake for me each day and I get to take a bite cut especially for me. I'd like to share my cake with you today! ♥

Janice Hankins
Moms and More Life Group Leader


I love what you said! And I love cake...Here are some of my favorite lyrics: "Can't steal my joy! They did not give it, they can not take it away." "They" being anything other than the Lord. He supplies our joy!

Bronwyn Crawford
Emcee for Moms and More