SALT Challenge - Rejoice

This week it was Ruth's turn to set the challenge on the SALT blog and she chose Rejoice. Her comments are below:

"The Bible says to Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. This is a verse that I keep meditating on as its one of those that pops into your head, but is very hard for your heart to grasp sometimes.When we go through trials, or we can see others suffering, getting to the truth of this verse is vital.It doesn't say Rejoice for the sake of it, it says Rejoice in the LORD, the one who has saved us from the punishment we deserve, the ALMIGHTY one, who LOVES us so much."

I loved Ruth's comments, especially when she noted that we don't rejoice for the sake of it. This lead me to look for a verse that would focus on the reason we can rejoice, even in the midst of trials, and I found a perfect section in Romans 5. It reads:

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

We rejoice in God, even in tribulations because we know that He uses these times for our good. No doubt it is difficult to rejoice in the face of difficulties...heck, I have a hard time rejoicing when faced with every day minor issues! Many times I have been humbled to see friends going through great trials who continue to have a smile on their face, concern for others more than themselves, and lips are full of praise for God. Only the work of the Holy Spirit could produce such a person and it is a blessing for others to be uplifted by such folks. May we all strive to trust God through all our circumstances, continuing to rejoice in the Lord! (Thanks for this great topic Ruth!!)

For my ATC, I finally broke out the only set of Verve Visual stamps that I owe...a pair of sweet little birds. Amy has created some beautiful bird cards in the past and when I saw this set on her blog I "needed" it! ;-) I liked the idea that even the birds rejoice and sing God's praises so my birdie is singing a section of Romans 5. The paper and materials are all from SU!. The faux stitching, which I did a not so professional job on, is from a Papertreyink set, Faux Ribbon. The ATC is created in a way that makes it look like a mini envelope, with the scalloped top and silver ribbon holder "holding" the envelope closed. Adding a little tag on the inside would have been cute...Hum...maybe later!

I'm off to hit the hay! Been battling a most out of wack back for two days and lying completely flat on a heating pad feels marvelous so it's off to bed for me!

Hop on over to the SALT blog to check out all of the other beautiful creations based on this week's challenge. And please, feel free to play along and leave us a link back to your blog or gallery...we'd love to share in your creativity!