
Dancing with My Heavenly Father Choosing Joy in a Less-Than-Perfect World
by Clarkson, SallyBuy New
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Summary
Author Biography
Table of Contents
The Search for Joy in a Less-Than-Perfect World | p. 1 |
A Heart That Dances to Celebrate God's Presence | p. 19 |
Letting Go to Take God's Hand | p. 45 |
Dancing Through the Twists and Turns of Life | p. 65 |
Reveling in God's Melody of Joy | p. 85 |
Staying in Step with Your Partner | p. 105 |
Joy Is Made Full When It's Shared | p. 125 |
Hearing the Refrain of Heaven | p. 147 |
Exchanging the Drudgery of Duty for the Dance of Delight | p. 165 |
Listening for the Music of God's Voice | p. 185 |
Postscript Will You Join the Dance? | p. 205 |
Notes | p. 207 |
Acknowledgments | p. 209 |
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
Excerpts
The Search for Joy in a Less-Than-Perfect World
Monday morning was here again. I opened my eyes reluctantly, since snuggling under my warm covers on this snowy, Colorado spring day seemed more desirable than facing the responsibilities that shouted for my attention. Marriage. Parenting. Church. Work. Extended family. Friends. Everyone and everything seemed to need me, constantly wanting more and more of my time and attention, leaving little for me and my passions
and interests.
After twenty-eight years of marriage and twenty-five years of parenting, I was accustomed to these burdens that sometimes weighed heavily on my shoulders. As I lay in bed, I compiled a mental list of what was ahead of me in my day. Making breakfast for two of my children who were still at home; finishing the dishes from last night’s dinner party; attacking the piles of laundry that had accumulated over the last busy week; facing the deadline on a freelance project that still wasn’t finished; helping my daughter with her history report; discussing with my husband how to deal with our sons’ college bills and the need to replace the tires on our older car…
On and on the list grew until I wanted to pull the covers over my head and stay in bed. I was already weary of the work ahead, and the day had not even begun!
In the midst of this, my fourteen-year-old daughter came into my bedroom with tears in her eyes. “Mom, do you remember my friend from church who’s been battling a brain tumor?”
“Yes,” I told her. I remembered him well. My daughter and I had prayed often for his healing.
“I just got an e-mail that he died this morning. I don’t get it. We prayed so hard!”
“I know,” I said, hugging her to me.
“I just feel so empty.”
We talked and prayed, and I was struck again by thoughts that had captivated my attention for almost a year. With so much sadness and so many daily burdens to shoulder, how do Christian women maneuver steadily through this journey of life with joy and peace of heart intact? What does it look like to be a woman filled with joy, every day, all the time, no matter what? In the deluge of all the stresses and disappointments in a fallen world, how does a mature Christian woman really walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? How does she face each situation with gladness, despite the relentless and demanding day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year things that would rob her of emotional and creative energy, such as chores, bills, arguments, messes? Or how does she maintain joy in the center of more devastating troubles: a divorce, the tragic death of a loved one, a child who has a chronic illness or disability, rejection by family members, alcoholism and drug-related scars, a job layoff ?
For me, the times I struggle most to experience joy are when I feel an invisible finger pointing at my heart, accusing me of all my inadequacies:How can you be a Christian this long and still lose your temper or struggle with pettiness, entertain critical attitudes, fluctuate in your emotions and in your walk with the Lord?Guilt over disappointing God or others sometimes lurks in the recesses of my mind and hovers silently like a cloud over my subconscious soul. After all, I have been a Christian for many years and am perceived as a mature leader, writer, and speaker; shouldn’t I be able to conquer these obstacles with confidence and strength? Shouldn’t joy be as natural to me as breathing?
PONDERING IN POLAND
My daughter went back to her room to get ready for school. Slowly I got out of bed and moved to the kitchen to brew some tea. As I looked out the kitchen window, I thought back to a similar spring morning, almost exactly one year before, when I first began to w
Excerpted from Dancing with My Father: How God Leads Us into a Life of Grace and Joy by Sally Clarkson
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