We have a life light, shining outward from the soul- that compels us, in different ways and through various methods, to move forward.  Beyond.   That insists we “keep-on-keeping-on”.  That urges us to place one foot in front of the other and move into the future.   That causes us to not stand idle for longer than we need to catch our breath.  And sometimes, that stops us dead in our tracks, and reverses our directions.   So as to get us back on track.  That acts on our behalf, picking us up and setting us on the path we were meant to travel.  That speaks to us in our very deepest parts.  Reminding us of all that it is to be human and aware.

How beautiful it is to be aware of the One who created that life-light with His very fingers.  Fashioning us in His likeness.  In His Image.

This forward-moving of which I write is done moment by moment, inch by inch.   Shuffling along at times.   Measuring the strides.   Setting the pace.  Running like an Olympic sprinter at other more memorable moments.  Always keeping the eye on the prize.  The truest source of motivation.  It is no real concern how fast one moves.  This is not a race.  It is a journey.

What matters is moving forward.

It has been said by some who know me that I live an idyllic life.  That Husband and I have the perfect kids, the perfect parenting style, that we have the whole package.   That we have it all together.  That life must be a bed of roses inside our humble home set on this little corner of the big, wide world.

Excuse me.  Let me pause for a minute to collect myself.  I think I choked on something. {……}

We do not, obviously, have the perfect life.  We certainly do have troubles of our own.  Our children are not angels.  I am the farthest person I know of from the perfect parent.  Our marriage is not a bed of roses, although I have tried to smell more of them in the recent past than I ever use to do.  We do not live the idyllic life.

News flash: no one does.

So we all do what we have to do to move forward.  Because moving forward is progress.  And I like to consider myself, if not an idealist, then a progressive.  I want to improve on my life.  That is why I write.

And I write about joy in particular because I want that quality to be the over-riding feature of my life.  I want to have joyful love in our home (this is all a work in progress, by the way);  joyful peace with my place in this world and this life, joyful patience with my children even though this is for me the cross I bear on a minute-by-minute basis.  I desire joy-filled kindness and even, as much as this is the anti-thesis to my natural person: goodness- so that my life might be characterized even by these two, awesome qualities.   And I look for ways in which to be joyfully faithful to the commitments and covenant promises I have made.  For faithfulness is a choice in and of itself.  Joy-filled gentleness is on that list- I need it.  Not quite got a handle on that yet, but I want it in my life.  And joyfully, I strive for self-control.  The ability to limit myself and focus on what truly matters : my Faith, my Family and my Friends.

And though this fruit may not be evidenced in my life on a daily basis, I am moving closer to being that person I strive to be each and every day.  By the choices I make, the people I surround myself with and the daily Life Line that is found in none other but God.  I’m getting there.  It’s a journey.  And I am moving forward.

And while it might not be an idyllic life, it is a progressive life.   A journey I am taking in spite of the costs.   Toward a life well-lived.