Josh and Hannah both have a characteristic that neither Sonya nor I have.  They are both Pack Rats.  If you look in Josh’s room, it is full of catalogs, books and more.  He doesn’t like to throw anything away.  I don’t think it is sentimental stuff but rather a “what-if I need this again someday” attitude.

Hannah, on the other hand, doesn’t like to get rid of anything.  The other day we were cleaning out the garage and she saw some of the “stuff” I was taking to Helping Hands.  This “stuff” included her toys and old shoes.  She could not part with these things.  She had a melt-down when I told her we were giving these to someone less fortunate.  Hannah did not buy that argument, it was her stuff and everyone else could get their own.  I sent her out of the garage and loaded it up in the car.

She also has the requirement  that when she doesn’t eat her whole meal, she has to get a to go box.  She never touches the food again and we wind up throwing it away, but if we do not get a to-go box, there is a melt-down on our hands.  She is a pack rat with food and her stuff.

I am not sure where my kids got this trait, it certainly wasn’t from me!  But that got me to thinking about how we are as Christians.  We are spiritual pack rats!

We “hang on” to the gospel of Jesus Christ and refuse to give it away to the lost.  We “hang on” to the hurts that someone has caused us and refuse to forgive.  We “hang on” to the compassion of Christ and fail to show it to those who are hurting.  We “hang on” to mercy and judge others rather than showing them mercy and grace.

What are you hanging on to?

How is your life? Are you having tough times?

Job 7:7 says, "…remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again."

Job was having more than a bad day; he was having a bad life. The man who was once the wealthiest man in the land had a "quiver full" of children and one day, everything is all gone. If things were not bad enough already (ever had one of those days?), he is smitten with boils which are excruciatingly painful. So here you have the perfect, upright man who is ready to die. This chapter is a reply to his "good friend" Eliphaz’s "encouragement." What I found interesting is the contrast between chapter 6:10 and this verse in chapter seven verse seven.

Job 6:10 says, "Then I would still have this consolation-my joy in unrelenting pain-that I had not denied the words of the Holy One."

Then in the next chapter he says, "My eyes will never see happiness again." I am comforted by these words because it shows the change in human emotions. When you go through hard times, you will face the ups and downs. One moment you are happy; the next moment, crying. The ultimate victory in trials is to live with the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit in your heart and roll with the punches.

One thing we must understand is the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is a state of living; it is dependant on circumstances. Joy, however, is an attitude of the heart. It is something developed through the circumstances. When Job says, "My eyes will never see happiness again", he couldn’t see past his circumstance. If you read the end of Job; he was happy again. I bring hope to you today. Choose to have joy in your heart, and happiness will come again. Look past your circumstance and ask God to develop joy in your heart.

There’s nothing like a little friendly competition among churches. 

Saturday was the perfect day for flying a kite.  It was a cool afternoon and quite windy.  Sonya, Hannah and I went out to fly the kite Hannah has had for two years.  We dusted it off and took it outside for a flight.  When I finally remembered how to fly a kite we made a good flight of it.