She looked at me and said, “Jill, I WISH I was living YOUR life!” 😐

Now, I truly take that as a compliment. 💛 But, can I be real here? I strive VERY hard to focus on the positives in my life. To post on social media the good, the joyful, the happy. 😁

I even had a lady (with disdain and hate) tell me once that I smile too much and just seem to think that life is one big ball of happiness and fun! 🤔 (Not her exact words…but you get the point).

It hurt. Yes, it hurt to the core of my soul, because I FEEL hurt. I FEEL pain. I FEEL sorrow. I FEEL trials. I FEEL stress. I FEEL weary. I FEEL persecution. I FEEL frustration . 😔

YET…my JOY in the Lord and His goodness to me is greater than all that! ❤

I have highlighted in my Bible in SO many places about how the children of Israel (in the Old Testament) complained their way through hard circumstances. I have tried to PURPOSE in my life to try NOT to be like that! 🙏

Lest any of you think my life is perfect, let me be honest. 😂😃

😢 Hardship: I have suffered through 5 devastating and hard miscarriages…one I almost bled to death and had to have several units of blood transfusions.

😁 Choosing Joy: I have 13 beautiful, healthy children that God allowed me to keep.

😢 Hardship: My husband and I had a rough marriage that took a LOT of work in our early years. It is still not perfect.

😁 Choosing Joy: We renewed our vows on our 20th anniversary and we continue to fall more and more in love.

😢 Hardship: We travel and sing in an RV motorhome. It wears on my patience. I am a homebody and one that thrives on home life…NOT being a “sardine” for Jesus. LOL.

😁 Choosing Joy: I LOVE serving my Saviour full time! Any sacrifice made for Him…HE IS WORTHY OF! I LOVE ministering to God’s people and meeting new friends along the way. I LOVE the sites we get to see and enjoy.

😢 Hardship: I homeschool my children and never get a “break” from the noise, busyness, chaos, and demands of motherhood.

😁 Choosing Joy: I live in a FREE country where I have the HONOR and joy of being with my children, teaching them, molding them, loving them and protecting them from the counsel of the ungodly. What an honor.

😢 Hardship: My husband gave up 2 nearly full-time jobs to go into full time ministry. It stretches both of our faith to the limit several times.

😁 Choosing Joy: It is a JOY watching God provide and we honestly have more now than we did back then. Figure that one out!….that’s our God for you!

😢 Hardship: We have “hateful” people that follow our family and say all manner of evil against us….falsely! It hurts…it’s NOT true! They don’t even KNOW us!

😁 Choosing Joy: It is an HONOR to suffer this small form of persecution for the name of our blessed Saviour- Jesus Christ!

😢 Hardship: The world views the role “stay at home mom” as hard and this would be their description of it… “I lose my ‘identity’ by being known as diaper changer, cook, wife, cleaner, laundry washer, etc. I have LESS money and have to live frugally. ”

😁 Choosing Joy: I LOVE having the HONOR of being a stay at home mom. I embrace the challenges as an honor to raise up warriors for Jesus! I don’t mind living frugally and LOVE thrift stores and Dollar Tree! LOL. I appreciate hand-me-down clothes and am not too proud to wear them.

😢 Hardship: I get VERY sick with my pregnancies. I have varicose veins that throb and leave my legs a little more worn and “ugly” every time I birth another baby. I get stretch marks. I get uncomfortable and lack sleep. I lose my “shape” over and over. LOL.

😁 Choosing Joy: I (and my husband) look at those imperfections as “beauty” marks from bringing another life (to raise for Jesus) into this world. I realize that favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

You see, I have CHOSEN a smile. I have CHOSEN a giggle instead of a gripe.

No, my life is not a bed of roses, but it is the ONE that God gave ME to live! ❤

How about you? What life did God give YOU to live? Are you living it well? Are you content? Or, do you look at others’ lives with envy.

I battle with keeping my attitude always right. However, when you find yourself complaining, fall to your knees in GRATITUDE for ALL the blessings He has done for you!

“Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings see what God has done. Count Your blessings, name them one by one…and it will surprise you what the LORD hath done!” 💛💛💛😁😁😁

We need a generation of women who rise up with JOY and embrace the God-given Biblical role God put in place for them. I believe it could bring revival to our land.

Choose JOY in the midst of your hardship. 😁

Love you all and cheering EACH of you on for the GLORY of God! 💛 Jill Rodrigues