Serve Him with GLADNESS!!

A HUGE thank you to all who came, supported, participated, served and worked and enjoyed a GREAT Banquet and auction, Saturday night!  The food was amazing, the spirit of the evening was uplifting, entertaining and a great encouragement to our family!!  It was a lot of fun!  

We are greatly encouraged by the body of Christ, who comes alongside and shows love, serves and gives in such a real and practical way. A comment heard from a guest was: “I’ve never seen a church put on this kind of fundraising banquet and have so much fun serving and working, all at the same time."   

Which got me thinking. Serving the Lord should be fun! A lot of times, myself included, have served with not so joyful of a spirit.  I was reminded of that, throughout this past week, that God delights and wants me to be a cheerful giver and to serve Him with joy and gladness!  Whether it is as a stay at home mom, wife, missionary, construction worker, student, teacher, co-laborer, with finances, servitude to Him, or more importantly in the day to day mundane things of life.  I am to serve the Lord with gladness!!  Its easy to grumble, to complain, to find fault with everything, everyone or to feel sorry about life's circumstances.  Its harder to serve with gladness because it requires us to take our eyes off ourselves and to focus on those we serve and putting others before ourselves.  

I was reminded of this by three little girls who stayed with us this past week. Our house was quite full - with 4 adults and 8 children (of varying ages from 1 - 17). However, throughout the week, what impressed me most, was to watch them live life with joy, even without them seemingly trying to. These girls were full of giggles, screams, laughter, tears, questions, and just a "little" bit of drama at times :). But at any given moment, one or more of them would break out into singing or humming as they played, ran, and interacted with each other....made up songs about Jesus in their hearts, how they loved Him, as well as many renditions of “Baby, Baby, oh Baby” and “So call me Maybe” too.

They, as a family serve the Lord in a place, most people would fear to go and visit, much less live!!  To see them model joy, even in the midst of hardships, pain, difficulty, sacrifice....truly inspires me, motivates me, challenges me and encourages me (us) as our family is about to embark on a major life changing experience.  Will I choose to serve with gladness?  Will I rise each morning with a song in my heart and an eagerness to serve Him in all I do and say?  I pray that will become my hearts desire.