Joyful 2012!

My homeschool support group, Lighthouse, is getting ready for our January meeting on the topic of joyful mothering/homeschooling. I sent this out to our group in preparation for our time of sharing and encouragement this month. I am looking forward to hearing some fun ideas to keep JOY as part of our daily homeschooling routine. When I think of the word JOY, I always think of this time of year, probably because of the Christmas carol "Joy to the World". Take a minute and read through these lyrics of this familiar carol: Joy to the World , the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing. Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love. Pretty amazing words, I thought, as we move into the new year. For me JOY is rooted in another word PEACE. "My peace I give to you..." John 14:27 In a devotion in Charles Stanley's IN TOUCH magazine, he explains how Jesus said this to his disciples just hours before his crucifixion. There certainly was no JOY in that situation but his Joy and His peace were not dependent on the circumstances surrounding Him. Jesus gives every believer His peace which leads to JOY. Our faith is how we experience this gift of Peace and ultimately Joy. Charles Stanley points out some truths to remember to help us in our quest for joyful mothering/joyful homeschooling. These same truths are echoed in the words of the carol "Joy to the World". 1. God is in control of everything. 2. He loves me and will see me through all circumstances. 3. To have Christ's peace(and JOY) I must yield my life to Him. 4. I have a limited perspective and understanding of my circumstances and God's purposed for allowing them. 5. The Lord promises to work all things out for my good. 6. I must live in sync with God. 7. Scripture is my foundation for peace. In Touch magazine, December 2011 I am looking forward to our meeting Tuesday and the sharing and encouragement with ideas for joyful homeschooling as we start our new year. Happy 2012! Happy New Year!