Meditation Mondays: Finding Joy + A Giveaway

Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night,
but joy comes in the morning.
~Psalm 30: 4-5

Have you ever been in that place where you know God is there, but you just can’t feel Him? You know what the Bible says about your current difficult circumstance, yet the power of His truths just seems to fall flat in your head when you’d rather they nourish your parched soul? I know I have!

Making sense of God, life, and difficult circumstances can be a lonely, painful journey. Finding joy can seem impossible when we’re in the midst of what seems like a never-ending night. Thank God for promises such as the ones through Psalm 30 that remind us we are not alone. The night will end.

I recently read a book that touched and encouraged my heart in more ways than I can begin to explain in one blog post. Dancing on my Ashes is the story of two sisters, Heather Gilion and Holly Snell, who grew up watching God perform miracles and reveal His blessings only to lose their dreams for their lives overnight with the sudden, tragic death of their husbands.

They share their story of how they both struggled and found peace with God in such a way that anyone who reads it will undoubtedly find a connection. Even if you haven’t been through tragedies similar to theirs, you will find yourself relating with them as they candidly share their hearts.

God really used this book to speak to me in unexpected ways. I had been specifically praying about what to do in a certain area of my life, and by the scriptures and experiences shared throughout this book, I heard Him answer me loud and clear. I decided as I read the book that I am probably not the only one out there searching for encouragement, so that’s why I decided to share it with someone else.

I am excited to announce that I’m giving a copy of it away! Here is how you can enter to win!

1. Leave a comment. It doesn’t have to be anything profound or specific. Just a comment. Perhaps about some way that God has spoken to you when you’ve been in the “night” waiting for the morning. Also be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if win. (If you’re uncomfortable sharing your email address in public comments, go ahead and comment as normal only without the email address then email me at {1exceptionallyavgeragegirl@gmail.com} to tell me which entries you left comments for.)

2. Subscribe to my blog via RSS feed or email subscription (Go to the homepage and add your email address in the right sidebar.) This is a change from my original post. Google Friend Connect is not working anymore, so if you subscribe in some way, that will count instead of the original public follow option. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address to tell me if you do!

3. Like my Facebook page by either clicking the “like” button in the box to the right when you’re on the home page or by going to this link and clicking “like.” Be sure to leave a comment with your email address to tell me if you do!

4. Share the link to this post on Facebook. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address to tell me if you do!

5. Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address to tell me if you do!

You have as many as 5 chances to win, but if you can’t take the suspense and would like to purchase your own copy of Dancing on my Ashes, you can find it at Amazon.com. The link below is my referral link. Click here to see my disclosure policy.

This giveaway is open until midnight Thursday, January 19th and is only open to residents of the US. Winners will be selected by taking the list of comments and entering them into Random.org. Please be sure to include a valid email address for me to contact you in the event that you win. If I am unable to reach you within 24 hours, I will select a new winner via Random.org.