One of life’s highlights of late has been the budding kinship with “my Hope*Writer friends.” I’ve told you about comparing, scarcity and working our own little territory and described how so often joy comes when we choose what we didn’t (at first) choose.
Enter Allison, one of those new friends. She is young, fresh and from the Pacific Northwest. But what really drew me to Allison is her passion and zest for helping women become rooted in God’s Word. I trust you’ll be blessed by her post.
I can still feel the silence that rang in my ears as he shut the door behind him.
It was January 2020. My husband had left for a six-month deployment after a tearful and much-dreaded goodbye.
Home Alone
I couldn’t have imagined the quiet that would follow. Little did we know the world would soon shut down for the pandemic, leaving me home alone with only my feisty kitty Daisy for company.
As many of my habits and patterns were interrupted, I found myself with more time on my hands than I had experienced in my adult life. The many distractions, some meaningful and some not, seemed to fall away.
It was through small acts of imperfect obedience that I drew near to God. I chose to open up His Word rather than hit “next episode” on Netflix., chose worship music when I could have chosen pop music, chose to give thanks even as I cried tears of loneliness.
My obedience was flawed and inconsistent, yet I could feel Him draw near to me when I drew near to Him, just as He promises in His word (James 4:8). More than ever, I craved His presence.
Joy Takes Root
As I drew nearer to Christ, I encountered a joy that wasn’t rooted in circumstance or temporary pleasure. Instead, it was a joy with a much firmer foundation. I experienced joy rooted in the everlasting faithfulness of a Savior who is always by my side.
This is a joy we can’t maintain on our own by willing ourselves a “can-do” attitude. Rather, we must humbly come before Christ each day asking Him to renew our joy in Him. When we do, we will find our joy doesn’t rely on something as shaky as our occupations, bank accounts, or physical appearance.
We will find our joy is rooted in Christ. This is the only joy that will never fail and will bring about the only outcome worth living and dying for—experiencing the presence of our Lord.
Are you ready to draw near to Christ through studying His word?
Download Allison’s free Rooted Rhythm guide. Allison Mattson is passionate about encouraging and equipping women to be rooted in Christ. Connect with her by subscribing to her Rooted Writings blog and following along on Instagram @mrsallisonmattson.