Happy 21, Joy!

If you haven't picked up on it yet from previous posts...I love my sister. Today, she turns 21; making me feel very old.

Three words come to mind when I think of her. Passion. Pursuit. And purity. She is such an inspiration and encouragement to me. Her passion for the LORD is contagious. Especially this past summer I noticed a tremendous increase in the affection she had as she talked about her Savior and His cross. Her love for others has sky-rocketed as a result- she always wants to know "What is God teaching you?" Or "What's God up to in your life?"

Side note: I love the way that living in Michigan has given her a little accent when she says the word "God." She really accentuates the "o"-- almost sounds like an "ah" sound. So cute.

She is passionate about many things. Sports (or really, anything involving competition), doing things logically, working hard, and doing something until its reached perfection. But she is most passionate about the LORD. She loves her local church. She has become a prayer warrior- and is passionate about whatever God is currently teaching or showing her.

Pursuit. Joy pursues a TON of things. She is one of the most disciplined people I've ever encountered in my life. Her schedule is always very full. Sports. Schooling. Church. Dear friends. But mostly, her pursuit of her Maker is what strikes me. Even when we were younger, I'd go into her room- and she'd just be sitting on her bed reading her Bible. I had no idea people actually did that-- especially people younger than me!

Purity. Now, this is one I could rant about forever. My sister made a commitment at an early age (completely on her own- with no teaching on this or friends along side her) to "wait for God to write her love story." She's still never had a boyfriend. Proverbs 31 says that the heart of her husband trusts her all of his days. I'll never forget the day she shared with me how this impacted her-- that being faithful to her husband doesn't start when she gets married...it starts NOW- (or, then.) ALL of his days. All of her days. A lot of people have thought she's "missing out." Oh...but she's not. I had this conviction later in life- when I was about 18- to not date as a sport or just for fun- and since then, Joy and I have had many conversations over the phone encouraging each other that this is worth it. It will be worth it on our wedding days...and each consecutive day after that. She, (if you took one look at her you'd understand) has been pursued by many guys over the years. With each one, she has been faithful to have "the relationship conversation" (as we've now dubbed it) early on so they know where she stands. She has learned how to lovingly communicate her convictions and ask others questions when in group discussions. I am so excited to meet her husband should the LORD will marriage for her one day. I trust he will be a humble, strong leader.

Joy, you're amazing. I wish I'd taken more notes from you when we were younger. In many ways, you're the big sister. I love you so much, and hope you have a wonderful birthday!