Hi, my name is Carmen Braaksma and I live in Colorado. My dream was to create my own blog where I could share the things that I love and that bring me JOY! It has been a very long time to make this dream turn into a reality. My hope is that you will find that the things that bring me JOY may also be the things that will bring you JOY.
JOY #1
First and foremost is my faith in Jesus Christ. Building a strong relationship with Christ is a must in my life. Without Him I would not have any JOY because JOY is a fruit of the spirit and was given to me when I chose to trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have come to learn that my JOY is not based on my circumstances but based on my relationship with Jesus. I hope to share my faith journey here on my blog (the good, the bad, and the ugly) but nevertheless Glorious because of my relationship with Jesus.
JOY #2
Second, my love for being creative in many ways is another source of JOY in my life. I have always loved to craft and have learned many ways to fill this need. So many times I hear people tell me that they can’t do what I do because they are not creative. Well I can tell you that all the things that I have done over the years were learned. For example, I love decorative painting (which was once called tole painting). I didn’t just wake up one day and pick up a paintbrush and start painting. I attended a lot of painting classes. So when some one tells me they are not creative, I just realize that they are just not interested in wanting to be creative. God is the ultimate and perfect Creator. All you have to do is look at the beauty all around us in creation. We are all made in God’s image and so we all have some type of creativity in us, we just need to tap into our creative side (whatever that may be). I hope that you will be inspired by the things that I create.
Third, my approach to my health choices. This is the most challenging of all my JOYS! It is challenging because my choices are not always the most popular worldly choice and so I tend to get a lot of people who disagree with my choices. The Word of God is my source of direction when it comes to wisdom and the Holy Spirit is the One I rely on for my guidance. Romans 14:22 reads “22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” So with that said, I am not here to judge you on your choices and I will continue to take my guidance and direction from the convictions that I have between myself and God. So the holistic approach I take and share here may or may not coincide with your choices but I am here to share the things I do in my life. This may all be new to you and you may be interested in some of my approaches and others may find some new ideas for their own holistic approach.
