Brought to You by the Letter "J"

Yesterday was a good day. It was clearly brought to me by the letter J—I was loved on by Jesus, transformed by Joy, and healed by Jenny.

The last couple of weeks have been interesting, to say the least, in terms of my mood. I've written this before, but winter is not typically a good time for me because in the past I suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Needless to say, I'd been fatigued and weepy for the last couple of days and was convinced the depression was setting in and there was nothing I could do about it. As a result, I was angry with God. I get angry with God from time to time, but hey, so did Job, the Psalmists, and Jeremiah. Anyway, through my anger I had managed to keep my devotional life intact. Well yesterday, after recognizing that what I thought was depression was really early and aggressive PMS, my anger with God dissipated. I was in a place to openly receive the love of Jesus again. My anger had not only shut me in, but it shut God out. The lies that I had come to believe about myself and my life were replaced with the truth—the unconditional and radical love of Jesus.

Now I'm not talking about the joy that comes after a night of weeping, but rather Joy—the fiercely amazing stylist and wise woman that does my hair. I walked in looking a mess (from the neck up) and left her shop looking brand new. Not only did she give me a fresh look, but she also massaged my scalp with the tingly tea tree oil shampoo that I love just a little bit longer than normal. Aaaahhh, talk about a slice of heaven.

And if that wasn't enough, I then made my way to see Jenny, the massage therapist on Drew's campus. We had an hour together and each minute, each second, was amazing. It was as if the Holy Spirit was guiding her hands as she worked the kinks out of my neck and shoulders. The stress in my legs and arms melted away as she gently massaged them. I could tell that she was listening to my body and my body (and mind, heart, and spirit) was indeed grateful. I sure didn't leave there like I had come in, praise God. Whereas I left Joy looking brand new, I left Jenny feeling brand new. Jenny has healing hands, I am convinced.