How to Experience Lasting Joy {Book Club: Chapter 10}

November 15, 2012 By

I remember the first time I heard the lyrics of the song, You are For Me.  The chorus went, “I know that you are for me. I know that you are for me. I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness.”  I was pregnant for the ninth time and I had lived the last 14 weeks in total fear of what could happen. I had been blessed with four healthy children, but had also experienced four miscarriages. No “number of weeks” was safe for me because I had gone as far as five months before miscarrying. I was living like a shaking leaf and I couldn’t get a hold of myself. This wasn’t like my positive optimistic self at all. The losses had wrecked me.  The night I heard this song for the first time I literally sat on the ground against the wall in my kitchen and wept. The Lord was speaking to me. “Ruth, I am for you. I know you are so weak right now, but I won’t leave you. I am fighting for you.” I can’t even explain the peace that washed over me as this truth became clear…and I listened again and again.

In those moments I was holding on to the truth that in my weakness He wouldn’t leave me. I was taking that to mean that He would surely protect my baby and all would go well, but He was teaching me to trust Him no matter what happened. You see that pregnancy didn’t end how I had hoped either and at four months pregnant the baby’s heart just stopped beating. I don’t know why that happened again, but I do know that God was, and is still, for me. My true joy and peace comes from the deep understanding in my heart, that no matter what circumstances I face, no matter how it turns out,  God is for me and He doesn’t leave me.

Joy is established in the secret places of our heart, where we receive the love of our King and love him back. It is our heart that determines our joy. ~Sally Clarkson, Dancing with My Father

This my friends is what it means to live dancing with joy.  We dance no matter what the tune is. We dance no matter what is going on around us. We dance because we know that God is with us and for us.

I love how Sally Clarkson sums up joy in Dancing with My Father. She has just finished telling the story of a beautiful English garden she came upon when visiting there that was surrounded by a thick hedge, but full of beauty on the inside.

I have realized that everything about joy is related to the condition of my heart: truly, if I am going to walk in a life of joy, my heart needs to be planted in the soil of God’s word, watered and fertilized with the continual reading, praying, and exercising of faith; protected and weeded from all doubt, despair, and lies; and guarded against the onslaught of the Enemy. ~Sally Clarkson, Dancing with My Father

Though joy is both the condition of our heart, but it also requires a choice.

Each of us must make a choice from our heart, before God. “No matter what my life holds, I will choose, with the eyes of my heart, to see your goodness, to trust you in all seasons of life, to seek to dance with you in the joy you have provided. I will choose, with the eyes of my heart, to see your goodness, to trust you in all seasons of life, to seek to dance with you in the joy you have provided. ~Sally Clarkson, Dancing with My Father

 

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4 Comments | Filed Under: Following God, Hope, Miscarriage, Uncategorized
About Ruth Schwenk

Ruth is the wife of a pastor, who is her best friend and the love of her life. She is a blessed homeschooling mother to her four beautiful children, and she eagerly awaits meeting her five others in heaven. She has a passion for following God, leading worship, rescuing orphans, and inspiring others to create a God honoring family.

She thoroughly enjoys warm spring breezes, blooming lilacs, tall skim mochas with whipped cream, root-lifter, eye cream, gel polish, laughing (lots of it), venti iced teas, exclamation points!!, family worship time, and snuggling up to read a good book with her family.

She is the creator of The Better Mom and she tweets at thebettermom.

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  • Wounded but Strong!

    Wow! This has touched my heart deeply, as I went through similiar experience. One, I love that song. When I first heard it I too, went through humbled emotions. Two, during my last pregnancy and in an intense, claiming life over my unborn child kind of prayer…..I felt that peace you spoke of. It was as if God was assuring me that this pregnancy was going to be ok. I ceased the crying and my heart went back to it’s usual place. I trusted God, even though the pain was evident. I trusted God because he took the time to do something in me that I have never felt before. In an instant I was calmed, it’s kind of unexplainable. I trusted him, only to go on and experience the worst miscarriage out of the four. I had delivery like pains all night and in the morning held in my hand what would be my baby (8wks) . I was in total shock of what I had just experienced, I was numb. For just a few days too long…..my peace was gone and so was my trust. The only thing that kept me together was a life-learning verse that always resonates in my heart….”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” Prov 3:5. Do I still trust God? Yes! I don’t understand it, it hurts but I trust him. Only he knows why I had to go through that heart wrenching experience. I’m praying that he reveals what it is that he wants me to learn and then I read your post. I didn’t need to read your post to learn to trust him regardless of our situations because I was already trusting him. I Needed to read your post to learn, that I am not the only one with these kinds of experiences and that no he is not out to get me. I needed to read your post to learn that there is something to be learned. So from now on, that is my prayer. Lord, reaveal to me what it is that I need to learn. Thanks for your post.

  • Melissa McIntyre

    wow! just wow, what amazing strength the LORD has given you.prayers for you and your family.

  • http://twitter.com/Mother211 Debi Chapman

    Ruth – This is precious. I read this and your story stuck with me for days. I came back here to tell you. Kari Jobe’s song is dear to my heart. Your loss touches the Lord’s heart and your response to ‘Dance’ touches ours. Bless you!