The JOY of GOODNESS!

Our son was given a plain wooden homemade pinball arcade game made with steel ball-bearings that my dad might have made in high school shop during the early 40's. Similar to the one below. I'm feeling like that  inside (have you really looked closely at the decorative elements on the commercial pinball machine cabinets? Most are not something I'd want my child to look at day in and day out.) 🙄

Maybe I'm making this too hard. I feel like I'm at the beginning again when I learned how to write down five things I was grateful for. I know I don't have the readership for a public blog or at least nobody has consistently cried out "I'm Here!" and anyway people like reading the gossip, not the good stuff, right? Or as an acquaintance said to me recently, "I don't have time to read that drivel." At first I was offended and perhaps this is my doctor's way of getting me to get the good down on paper every day, like taking my medicine.  But I feel driven to write - to be one good "voice" out in the wilderness of blog-dom. And I'm not perfect by any means. 

According to the internet, the spiritual meaning of JOY is a deep cheerfulness and gladness of heart. Christian JOY is a constant, calm spirit that should abide in the life of the believer, however, it can be outwardly eclipsed sometimes by fear, grief, sin, or shock. 

Carolyn, a cousin, sent me some JOY sayings and I chose one that seemed to fit what my goodness journal is to be about: "Choosing JOY is being able to see God's GOODNESS even when Life is hard and messy." 

Pastor is preaching a series on Romans. First Sunday, I read through the 12th chapter and found two verses that leaped out at me. "Cling to what is good!" (vs. 12:9) and "Overcome Evil With Good!" (vs. 12:21). I got an image in my mind of me clinging to life preserver boat float.

2nd Sunday, I reread the chapter and I saw what I didn't see last week - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his GOOD, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:12). How did I miss that? I also found "The authorities that exist have been established by God. . . For he is God's servant to do you GOOD..." (Romans 13:1b, 4a)

Again, according the current online dictionaries, goodness is a deliberate choosing to follow right over the wrong and the firm persistent resistance to all evil. To describe it another way, take for instance, water - good, pure water is fresh, clean and can keep you healthy if you drink your recommended 8 (8 oz.) glasses everyday;  dirty water is stinky, polluted and full of germs or poison that can make you sick just like evil. However, knowing what is good and bad isn't always clear cut, but reading the GOOD BOOK will help. I've heard that a little prayer for wisdom helps too and the advice of Godly friends. 

Good song - Head Above Water by Avril Lavigne

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." ~ James 1:5

"If you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. . . Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous." ~ Proverbs 2:1-15, 20-21. 

GOOD MEMORY! = Rev. Betty Jo Teaford baptized me when I was about ten. My grandparents came up to witness the event. 

My husband gave me a little silver turtle charm for the end chain of my medical bracelet. It's to remind me of  two things - Just like God gave the lowly turtle a shield,  I can tuck my body behind God and his shield to get out of the line of fire from the enemy and slow and steady wins the race.