What do you find joy in?

Hellllooooo Third Trimester.

It is all catching up with me and I am starting to feel like a bursting bubble....

I'm feeling it in my back, my walk, my emotions, it's all catching up with me this week....

I can't put my boots on without sitting on the floor like a kid....

I hit the side of the garage door with the car....

I smashed a storage tote with the car and cracked it to smitherines.....

I dribble food down my front every meal without fail.....

I cry at the drop of a hat....

I have to lift my belly just to turn to my other side.....

....count it all as JOY....

I do count it all as joy. I am finding great joy in being a wife and becoming a mom. I've been reading through Philippians and learning that my past doesn't define me, my fancy resume doesn't matter, all that matters is what Christ has done for me and what is of eternal value, and that is finding joy in being a wife, a mom, serving others, and honoring God. 

Paul talks in Philippians 3 about his past. He comes across as bragging about what he did like he was proud of his fancy resume, but what he's trying to say is he has the fancy resume but it doesn't matter, none of it matters.

"I once thought these things were valuable but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." Philippians 3:7-11

I used to think all that mattered was going to college, getting a fancy degree, becoming someone important and doing all these great, grand things for God. It was this dramatic, epic, glamorous way of thinking.

But, as I've shared with you, all those things have been stripped away and what I have left is Christ, and he's all that matters. I can be off conquering the world with a fancy degree and some important job, but what is all that worth if I don't have Christ?

We can talk about our busy schedule, the job we have to get to (and yes working is important), all the ministries at church we're involved in; we can debate what you believe, what I believe, but at the end of the day, Christ is all that matters. We can get led astray by the ways of the world and get caught up in the lie that we have to strive to be someone and build a fancy resume, but only Christ matters.

Paul spends his whole life striving to be what the world told him was important and at the end of his life, he discovers only Christ is important.

Paul goes on to say that he focuses on forgetting the past and focuses on looking forward. "I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." Philippians 3:14 Paul turns from his past and turns toward Christ. He presses on.

Earth is not our home. We are citizens of heaven where Christ lives. (v. 20)

We are EAGERLY waiting for him to return as our Savior.

He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. (v. 21)

That's exciting to me. Is that exciting to you? All our striving to be someone important, all our efforts to impress, it's all so exhausting. Christ died so we wouldn't have to try so hard to please and impress. We are simply to take delight and to find joy in Christ alone.

Sometimes my pattern of thinking goes a little like this...

"I love God. I grew up going to church. I believe Christ died on the cross for me

BUT I have to push through college to get this degree...

BUT I have to get a job to be anybody in this world...

BUT I have to go do something important...

I have to DO something...

I have to BE someone..."

And God says "No...Heidi...stop! Just ...take.... joy ....in ....Me ....breathe"