Singleness and Contentment

When I was about 13, I decided that getting married when I was 17 would be realistic, so I wrote up a chart of when I would start having children. According to that list, I gave birth to triplet girls on the 8th of February 2015 (at age 18). I would then have a son in 2017, another in 2019, have another set of girl triplets 11 months after that, and finally end up having twins, my 13th & 14th children at the age of 31.

Honestly?

No, friends, that simply hasn’t happened! And it doesn’t bother me a bit. In fact, I’m quite glad that I’m not a mother of three. 🙂

I’m not a married woman. I’m still single. And this post is about being single, and being content with life just the way it is.

To me, being single isn’t a big deal. It’s not a bad thing at all! It’s just that marriage isn’t the Lord’s will for me yet. If it ever is, I’ll be happy to accept.

And I think contentment really starts with realising that what you do have comes from God, and you don’t actually deserve any of it. Everything in your life is a gift from God. So thank and praise Him for His gifts, every day.

Another thing is that God is always near. No matter where you are, or how you feel, He is right there with you. You can pour out your heart to Him.

So, sister, if marriage has not come your way, I would encourage you to have a thankful spirit, pray to God often, have a peaceful spirit, and enjoy life the way God has given it to you.

Love, Rhoda

Interesting Page About Me, My Blog, and Our History :)

I’m getting tired of not posting. I have 20 drafts, but none are finished. Today, I published this page and thought you would be interested. This page is a collection of several things I’ve been wanting to put on my blog. They didn’t fit on any other page, and none deserved a page of their own. Have a read! :

So, I’m assuming that you are either a regular reader who is visiting this page for the first time, or else a new reader exploring… I’m Rhoda, and I wrote some about me here. But if you want to find out who I am, you’ll need to read through my posts, and pick the pieces of the puzzle 🙂 .

You should note that I live in New Zealand. This is why your comments show as (for example) ’12:30am’, and if I comment on your blog,….

To continue reading, click here 🙂

If you would like to know any more, or have any questions, please contact me, or leave a comment. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Perfection?

I’ve been trying to keep my blog perfect. All my posts are grammatically correct. All the pictures are just so.

But
I’ve decided

that since I’m not perfect – my blog shouldn’t be either. Don’t worry, I’m not planning to ruin it. But even the title of this post is enough to mar the beauty.

On Saturday, Serving with Joy was six months old. So I’ve decided to list, in this very imperfect post, the most read six posts.

1. Obedience is Only Instant
2. Being a Jewel for God, by Aviel
3. This World is Not Our Home
4. Treasure God’s Name, Part One But not Part Two 😦
5. Dear Subscribers, Not sure why that was so popular!
6. Pictures of Home

And here is some news. Last week, BWBears nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

But
I’ve decided

not to accept it. Because I’m not sure about this whole blogging awards thing. It seems more like a chain letter than an award. And I couldn’t find 15 blogs to nominate. I don’t follow very many, but I’ll list them here anyway (everyone likes a bit of publicity 🙂 )

Tani Newton at Normal Education. Okay, this is my mum’s blog. But I still recommend it. Her most popular post is “Why I don’t want to talk about home schooling any more” 🙂

Candace C. at Virtuous Maidens. I’ve loved Candace’s blog since I first found it. So peaceful and welcoming. Her posts have a wide variety, from friendship and aprons to her poetry, and  occasional Hymns in Our Hearts post. Candace inspires us to “delve into the days of the past.”

Mrs Tehila Gonen at Women Abiding. “Encouraging Women to Abide in God and His Word”

Julia at Library Lover My colleague’s “Thoughts about libraries, books and everything in between 🙂 ” (at least, some of them!)

Bonnie Smithies at Bonnie’s Blessings This is Bonnie’s personal blog.

Olivia Howard at Fresh Modesty “Practical Wardrobe Encouragement.” I came across  Olivia’s blog quite recently, and I’ve been loving it! She really encourages girls to be “Cute, but covered. Stylish, but sensible! Contemporary, but classic! Feminine, but fresh!”

Sayna S. at Shining Arrows My dear friend Sayna’s magazine’s blog. She’s just decided to take a break from blogging about her personal life, and take time to refocus. But her Bloopers posts are ridiculously funny…

Esther Rose at Joyful Maiden Another friend of Sayna. Esther also blogs at Jewels of Jesus.

Hanah Lou at Dance to Life is enjoying everyday life – and everything it throws at her.

Cayla and Ashley, two sweet girls who are singers, and – well, look at their blog, ’cause I couldn’t tell you!

Told you there weren’t many. If I left you out, please leave a comment.

A bit more news: we went to Christchurch for Queen’s Birthday weekend. I went to a Missions Conference, and Mum went to this conference.

Well, that’s the end of my imperfect post. What did you think? Should I go back to the old ways? Or is a mix of both your preference?

In Christ,
Rhoda

Dear Subscribers,

      It is with mixed feelings that I write to inform you of Aviel’s decision to resign from Serving With Joy. Unfortunately, it has become too complicated and stressful for this blog to be a joint effort. For this reason, she has decided that for her to concentrate her energies and writing talents solely on her new blog would be much easier and more productive for us both. This change is effective immediately.

And now, a message from Aviel:

‘My decision to proceed in this direction has not been an easy one, but I had to do it, because a shared blog, along with conflicting doctrine, was causing me a lot of stress and therefore was starting to affect my health. I would love to present to you Crowned In Glory, which is my new blog that I hope to, through God’s help, bless you with. I invite you to join me in my walk with our Saviour there. I will still be supporting Rhoda on Serving With Joy, and I thank you very much for following us here, as it has been a great encouragement and blessing to us.

                        With love and Joy,

                                    Aviel G. Gonen

I am indeed sorry to have Aviel leave us, but she has my full support, and we are both content with this move. I am looking forward to continuing, Lord willing, to encourage, inspire and challenge young women globally to love and serve the Lord with ever increasing joy on this blog, Serving With Joy.

Joyfully yours in Christ,

Rhoda G. Newton