"Joy In The Journey"

I heard a song by Michael Card called "Joy In The Journey". It is so beautiful. It talks about the joy and freedom that comes from being in Christ. This song resonated with me because I think it really describes my life and what I want for others. Here are the lyrics:

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

And all those who seek it shall find it
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind

To all who've been born in the Spirit
And who share incarnation with Him
Who belong to eternity stranded in time
And weary of struggling with sin

Forget not the hope that's before you
And never stop counting the cost
Remember the hopelessness when you were lost

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

And freedom for those who obey...

One of the reasons I am doing what I'm doing is because I remember the "hopelessness when I was lost" and I want to help the lost find the same kind of hope that I have found. The peace and joy we receive from obeying God is amazing to me! And when we are living our life in obedience to Him, He does require sacrifices, but He also showers us with love and joy!

Let me share with you one of the little "joys" in my journey. Sometimes the accent and the pronunciation of our readers provides for some very amusing situations. For example, one girl pronounces h's as r's. Imagine how hard it is to keep a straight face when she is talking about the "Rolly" Spirit.
Another reader was studying about the time that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying and the devil came to tempt him. I asked my reader where Jesus was and he answered, "Jesus got into the dessert". I guess Jesus has a sweet tooth. Of course he hadn't eaten in a while, so there is no worry about him ruining his dinner.
Don't think I share these stories with you to laugh at them. Definitely not! Far from it! These people are very intelligent and are on their way to being fluent in a second language (some have even more languages). Since I have begun studying portuguese, I have a better understanding of just how difficult that is! I have great respect for them.
I'm sharing these stories to give you a glimpse of the fun we have doing our work and the joy we get from spending time with our readers. Each morning I wake up excited to start my day and to meet my friends to read the bible together and have great discussions. And we enjoy being together, we share lots of laughs and lots of struggles.

I pray that you have many joys in your journey too! Please, share them with me!!!
And if you are feeling hopelessness, seek the pardon that comes from obedience to God!
If you would like to listen to the song by Michael Card, click here.