The Fragrance and the Joy

I've had two verses running through my head today:

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." 2 Corinthians 2:14

and

"...The joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

When I dropped Ethan off at school this morning, I got lots of welcomed hugs from those who have been praying for our family. When I settled into a chair at home, I became uncommonly aware of all the different perfumes that had rubbed off on me--sweet scents from women in the body of Christ who had 'diffused the fragrance' of our Savior with me. My heart swelled at the thought of the time and effort people have spent lifting up our girls to Jesus, how He has been answering prayers, and how He is letting us be part of His glorious plan. Truly, He is leading us in triumph through this time, giving us glimpses of His knowledge as He uses believers to intercede on the behalf of our family.

After leaving the hospital this afternoon, the sunshine felt comforting and reassuring as I drove home. I was thinking about the "triumph" of the day (Audrey was up to 4 lbs, 1 oz and Norah was up to 4 lbs, 2 oz--each others' birth weights) and the joy that it brought me. That's when the verse, "The joy of the LORD is your strength" popped into my head. Thank you, Lord, for giving us joy and leading us in triumph. You are the reason we have strength to face the day with JOY!! You are my strength and I love you!!