Joy Writing

Here is I sit among the trappings of the day.  The kids have gotten out chairs to make little houses and toys lay scattered around the tile floor.  There is a mountain of laundry that I have affectionately named "Mount Laundry" sitting on my kitchen table (better clean and folded then dirty on the bathroom floor!)  The kids have gone to the store with their dad and I am getting a mom-ment (mom moment).  I joked with my friend that since dad took the kids to the store in the minivan that I would take his sporty Toyota and go for a joy ride ... but instead I have decided to take a minute and 'joy write'. 
We've had quite the day with the five kids that fill my home each day with noisy laughter and yes the occasional outbreak of 'he's not sharing' or the typical summer cry 'I'm bored' or 'they won't play with me', but for the most part they just like to run and play and make a lot of noise.

As I sit in this quiet house ... there is no laughter, just the hum of the computer and three sleeping dogs laying beside me.  I can see through the sheers on the window that there is a nice breeze and the sun has started to make it's decent. 

The house is peaceful.

I feel peaceful in this minute.  Sitting.  Alone.

But that is not how the end of days will be.  If you have been following me this week I have been taking a slow verse-by-verse journey through the book of Isaiah.  Since I'm sure my mom-ment will only last a moment I will probably just touch on a verse or two.

Isaiah 2:3 starts out, "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD ..."  The end of days will be filled with joy and excitement.  There will be many people proclaiming a time to go up and see the LORD.  Why did they want to do this?  So that He could teach them His ways the verse goes on to say.  They were eager to do as He said and to walk in His paths.

What are His ways and paths?

דֶּרֶךְ derek

אֹרַח 'orach


Derek is the journey or path we are on.  It is as Gesenius puts it, "the way which leads to that place".  What place?  Zion!  (a sunny place)  The Mountain of the LORD!  Derek means to go home.  As I sit in my peaceful home I can only imagine what my REAL home will be like there in Zion.  If I can feel this moment of peace here, how much greater is the peace there?

Orach is our way of living.  It is the path we take.  For instance you might say "the way to life or happiness".  It is our course of living, the way we act.  Are your actions pleasing to God?  Are mine?  Are you following the counsels (orach) of God?  Am I?

For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah (God's instructions) and the word of Adonai.

In that day verse 4 tells us that the LORD will judge among the nations and there will be no more war.  It will be a peaceful time.  Ah!  Peace.

Speaking of which ... the kids are home, dinner needs cooked, the house needs picked up and all those end of day things that we moms do to get ready to do it all again tomorrow ... unless by chance we start hearing our summons to go up to the mountain ... I'm working on being ready for that day.  Are you?


Blessings Abundant,