UPDATE: THIS RANDOM JOURNAL DAY ENTRY WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2012...SO I THINK THAT'S BEEN LONG ENOUGH TO RECYCLE IT. This was actually the FIRST Random Journal entry I had ever done, as you will read below. Now we are gathering over at my friend Dawn's new blogsite: http://enthusiasticallydawn.com/ and some of the same friends are still joining in just like we did three years ago...plus some new friends...so take a look there after you read this offering for today... (just saying...it would be rude to leave me here without reading first...LOL)
ORIGINAL POST< MARCH 31, 2012:
My blogging friends Dawn from " Beneath the Surface" and Susie from "Recovering Church Lady" have suggested a "Random Journal Day", where those of us who have kept journals randomly select an entry from one of our old journals and share it with each other.
So, with a little fear and trepidation, I have been randomly searching through my old journals for something appropriate to share with you. Maybe I shouldn't have been so selective...perhaps I should have just opened a book and started posting the first thing I put my finger on...but that would not have been a good idea...trust me! Anyway, I finally decided on one that I hope will pass the test (my test for myself), so here goes:
September 30, 2____... The first page in a new journal...written 5 days after my 50th birthday...
"I wish I had remembered to begin this actually on my birthday~but I was too overwhelmed to write! It is hard for me to realize that I am actually 50 years old! Inside I still feel like the same little girl I used to be. Certainly, I've matured & hopefully have grown in wisdom. But deep inside there is still this little girl yearning to see the world and experience all the good things life has to offer. Actually, I have already tasted of many of those things~I've had a beautiful and well blessed life. God has been so gracious unto me. I have excellent health, and a clear mind (most of the time!), and a wonderful home and family.
But there are still some mysteries in life I've yet to discover and understand. There are people waiting to be known and loved, places to be seen and enjoyed, sunrises and sunsets too beautiful to describe waiting to fulfill their destiny. May God be praised for all the glorious things He has done-and is continuing to do."
In this journal entry I went on to detail some of the joys and blessings of my 50th year of life, as well as some of the trials and tribulations. It had been a wonderful year, and also a horrible year, but I won't go into the details here. However, I summed it all up by reciting the words to a little song that I had just learned in my church's Vacation Bible School that previous summer. It had blessed my heart and encouraged my soul so much, that it became my theme song for the whole year. Here it is, the words as sung by Twila Paris:
"God is in control, We believe that His children will not be forsaken.
God is in control, We will choose to remember and never be shaken.
There is no power above or beside Him we know,
Whoa oh oh, God is in control.
He has never let you down-
Don't start to worry now-
Don't start to worry now.
He is still the Lord of all we see,
And He is ever watching o'er us-
Watching over you and me!
God is in control!"
I finished this entry into my journal by saying,
"Suffice it to say that as I begin this 2nd half of the 1st century of my life, I anticipate God doing some extraordinary and marvelous things. I want to live my life each day as if it were my last day-for none of us knows when that day may be. I want to savor the moments of joy and beauty that come my way...rejoice in the fellowship of friends in the Lord-who are sent to brighten my life--for they are ambassadors of Christ to bring comfort and healing and joy...To worship the Lord more fully in the Spirit of Holiness...to keep my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith...to learn to trust Him so much that I am able to walk on the water instead of just wading through the river..."
Wow! It has been almost
And I am still trying to learn to trust Him so much that I am able to walk on the water instead of just wading through the river ... How about you?
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| This is me now...still learning to trust Him one day at a time. Praise God....He still has NEVER let me down...and He never will! |
Thanks so much for linking up and sharing! I assume the picture is of the journal this excerpt was taken from and I love it. That is one of the fun parts of journal keeping, the excitement of the new journal. I always look for the perfect one and carry it with me as a life partner for the season it lasts. Thank you for your sharing, and the additional insights. Beautiful post. I always enjoy your pictures!
ReplyDeleteYay, this was so wonderful my friend Pamela! I really like the idea of putting a pic of our own journals at the top!
ReplyDeleteThe 50 mark is a biggie isn't it? I love your journal entry that year. beautiful desires and goals that I am sure you lived up to even if you don't feel like you did!
thanks for joining in the fun and spreading the word about the link up!
Thank you, Dawn and Susie! This was a great idea! I hope others will participate as well. It is fun to "go back in time" and remember where we were and why we were there...and journaling is a wonderful way to jog those memories. It helps us to see how God was working in us then, just as He is continuing to work in us now. Hopefully we have learned from our past experiences...but I have found that I keep having to relearn some things as new circumstances emerge. That's what life is all about! Thanks for your kind thoughts!
ReplyDeletePamela,
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty wild looking back on our journal entries to see where we were and how far we've come or where we may find ourselves stuck. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I love that Twila Paris song, and as for me -- I'm with you...still trying to learn to trust Jesus enough to walk with Him on the water, instead of sinking into it!
Blessings,
Pam
This reminds me of posts I have written or thought around my birthdays. Times where I tried to reconcile where I am versus where I anticipated I would be. The really beautiful thing is that instead of sounding melancholy your post is hopeful. I love this "God IS still in control! "He has never let (me) down"...and "He is still the Lord of all we see...and He is ever watching o'er us...watching over you and me!" " I am so very thankful for this truth.
ReplyDeleteMelancholy and me don't usually stick together for long. God won't let me stay there...and for that I give Him praise. There is so much beauty and joy surrounding us, if we just open our eyes and focus (my new One Word for 2015) on Him...we can't stay down for long. Thank you for stopping by...a new face and a new friend. I hope to get to know you better in the future!
DeleteWow, has it really been almost 3 years since we started this RJD stuff? Time...it's amazing. Anyway, what a journey you've been on since, friend. I think you really HAVE lived up to what you desired in this journal entry all those years ago. I think of all the ways you encourage me, all the ways you encourage ALL who know you. Even when your life has been very difficult and full of extreme loss, your goal has been to please Him, to honor Him. And if sometimes you fail, well, you're part of the human race, and the reason He came. I thank God for you, Pam, and know your birthday dreams for yourself were heard by the one who is always thankful that He made you for Himself. Isn't that a cool idea--that HE Himself is thankful for us?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very kind words dear friend across the continent! I am so thankful for our friendship, even from afar...as it has been one of mutual encouragement and strengthening. Your "Word about Words" always lifts me to a higher plane...very timely and always just as needed. Thank you for being faithful.
DeleteYes, I agree with jeskmom, that you have lived up to your desires and beyond! I am about to leave my 50's and I think we can both say that they were great but cannot wait to see what's next! Love you dear friend!
ReplyDeleteMy prayer is that it just keeps getting better and better as the years fly by. We are on the right road, so we can't go wrong. There's always a new adventure waiting around every bend in the road. So happy that we are doing this together! It's been a great trip! :)
DeleteHahahaha- you are a cheater! lol. I loved this- and that you are sharing from your 50th- in light of my own ! Love that paragraph that reads like a sort of prayer at the end. OH, you are a joy! I can't wait for Texas time together!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that I am a cheater...I sort of ran out of old journals...so I have to recycle stuff...but I hope you won't kick me out of the club yet! Thank you for thinking I am a "joy"! That made me smile. I can't wait for "Texas time" either....someday...I hope we are surprised by God arranging it for us. Thank you for starting this special little "club" of blogger/journalists. It's been a real test of faith for me...to put out there what I intended to keep private until I die. I pray God will use what we've written to glorify Him...and give us courage to keep writing for Him. Blessings my friend.
DeletePamela- You give me hope...I will be 50 this year and I still have lots of hopes and dreams too! I am so thankful that God allows our little girl to exist inside of us even after many years of maturing! So thankful that He orchestrates our days and lives!
ReplyDeleteFifty is just the beginning of life in some ways...My early years were too busy raising babies and putting hubby through college, seminary, etc., moving and moving and moving, etc., and now I am trying to settle down and enjoy life and use what God has taught me in the first half of the century. (I have a few more years on you than that now...). And yes, the little girl needs to keep on dreaming and scheming and playing...and loving and enjoying all that life has to offer. Yes, God has plans for us all the days of our lives. I hope to be still laughing and loving and enjoying and writing when I am reaching the end of my 2nd half of the century. Thank you for stopping by. I still love the hammock in your house! LOL.
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