Pure Joy...

"Many people say, "who will show us better times?" Let the smile of Your face shine on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests... I will lie down in peace and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. ~Psalm 4:6-8~ Led me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Tell me clearly what to do, and show me which way to turn. My enemies cannot speak one truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others... O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they rebel against You. But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Protect them, so all who love Your name may be filled with you. For You bless the godly, O Lord, surrounding them with Your shield of love. ~Psalm 5:8-12~ My family and I are going through a really hard time right now. When I say this, you need to know how much I mean it. In the months since my husband got laid off, I have said many times "well at least we know things can only get better!" We thought so many times that we were at the bottom. I have been shown time and again that I was wrong! September 25th last year, on my birthday, we moved. On that same day, Ernie was laid off. Less than 2 weeks later, we got served papers that affected our lives quite a bit. Now I'm not going to talk about court/custody/child support issues here, because this is, after all, public. But lets just say, its been a scary, stressful time. Just recently, the small amount of unemployment my husband has been getting was reduced because of an old child support order. We thought wow, there's no way we can do this! Then this week, it was reduced more. It is so easy to lose faith in these situations. It is more than easy to panic. I am so thankful that I have a strong husband who can see past the scary, terrible things and look for the good. I am so thankful we have good friends who love God and follow His will. I am so thankful for a God who loves us and wants to protect us. The verses I posted above are a huge part of what is getting me through this. I believe those words. I claim them for my family. I know many people who I love may not agree. I know many don't believe in my God. But my God has come through for us time and time again. When we thought there was no hope...there He was, in one form or another, getting us through. I know that we couldn't do this as a family without our faith in God. That is for sure. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance... Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial. ~James 1:2 and 12~