I had fun playing around with pictures.

Psalms 127:1-5  A Song of Ascents; of Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.  (2)  It is vain for you that ye rise early, and sit up late, ye that eat the bread of toil; so He giveth unto His beloved in sleep.  (3)  Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD; the fruit of the womb is a reward.  (4)  As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one's youth.  (5)  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be put to shame, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Solomon had tried to find happiness in so many things, but he didn't find fulfillment in anything apart from YHWH.
He tried to find fulfillment by furthering his education; experimenting with sex, getting drunk, and getting more "stuff". He concluded that the only thing that brought fulfillment was getting his life right with YHWH:

Eccl 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Unless Adonai is the center of your family, your work is in vain. Do you realize that 80% of all violent crimes against children are committed in the home. That means it is 80% safer to be out in the streets! That also means that G-d needs to be the focus, for the house will crumble without Him.

Luke 12:16-21 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: {17} And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? {18} And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. {19} And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. {20} But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? {21} So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Anxiety is a big problem today. People are fearful of all kinds of things. It doesn't matter if you stay up late or rise up early in the morning, all that is in vain. You won't have peace, you won't have rest. And the enemy uses anxiety, fear to control our lives. What can we do about it? Give it to G-d and then have a good nights rest, and wake-up refreshed in the morning.

Perhaps your children came at a time that wasn't the most convenient. Perhaps you weren't quite "ready" for having a family, but you got one anyway. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that your kids are a burden you are stuck with.

They are a pure treasure from G-d.

Shalom uv'racha

Parshah Va'etchanan - Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
Torah Reading for Week of Jul 26-Aug 1,2009 - Av 5-11 5769

Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11  And I besought the LORD at that time, saying:  (24)  'O Lord GOD, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts?  (25)  Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.'  (26)  But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.  (27)  Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.  (28)  But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.'  (29)  So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor.  (4:1)  And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you.  (2)  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.  (3)  Your eyes have seen what the LORD did in Baal-peor; for all the men that followed the Baal of Peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee.  (4)  But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.  (5)  Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the midst of the land whither ye go in to possess it.  (6)  Observe therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that, when they hear all these statutes, shall say: 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'  (7)  For what great nation is there, that hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is whensoever we call upon Him?  (8)  And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?  (9)  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children;  (10)  the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me: 'Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.'  (11)  And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.  (12)  And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice.  (13)  And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even the ten words; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone.  (14)  And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.  (15)  Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves - for ye saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spoke unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire -  (16)  lest ye deal corruptly, and make you a graven image, even the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,  (17)  the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the heaven,  (18)  the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;  (19)  and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath allotted unto all the peoples under the whole heaven.  (20)  But you hath the LORD taken and brought forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be unto Him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.  (21)  Now the LORD was angered with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance;  (22)  but I must die in this land, I must not go over the Jordan; but ye are to go over, and possess that good land.  (23)  Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, even the likeness of any thing which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.  (24)  For the LORD thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.  (25)  When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall deal corruptly, and make a graven image, even the form of any thing, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him;  (26)  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.  (27)  And the LORD shall scatter you among the peoples, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither the LORD shall lead you away.  (28)  And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.  (29)  But from thence ye will seek the LORD thy God; and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  (30)  In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee, in the end of days, thou wilt return to the LORD thy God, and hearken unto His voice;  (31)  for the LORD thy God is a merciful God; He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He swore unto them.  (32)  For ask now of the days past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?  (33)  Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?  (34)  Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before thine eyes?  (35)  Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightiest know that the LORD, He is God; there is none else beside Him.  (36)  Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire; and thou didst hear His words out of the midst of the fire.  (37)  And because He loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them, and brought thee out with His presence, with His great power, out of Egypt,  (38)  to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day;  (39)  know this day, and lay it to thy heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else.  (40)  And thou shalt keep His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.  (41)  Then Moses separated three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising;  (42)  that the manslayer might flee thither, that slayeth his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in time past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:  (43)  Bezer in the wilderness, in the table-land, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites.  (44)  And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel;  (45)  these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt;  (46)  beyond the Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, when they came forth out of Egypt;  (47)  and they took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising;  (48)  from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, even unto mount Sion - the same is Hermon -  (49)  and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.  (5:1)  And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them.  (2)  The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.  (3)  The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.  (4)  The LORD spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire -  (5)  I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare unto you the word of the LORD; for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the mount - saying:  (6)  I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  (7)  Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.  (8)  Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, even any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  (9)  Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate Me,  (10)  and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments.  (11)  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.  (12)  Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee.  (13)  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work;  (14)  but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou.  (15)  And thou shalt remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.  (16)  Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  (17)  Thou shalt not murder.  (18)  (5:17) Neither shalt thou commit adultery.  (19)  (5:17) Neither shalt thou steal.  (20)  (5:17) Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.  (21)  (5:18) Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's house, his field, or his man- servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.  (22)  (5:19) These words the LORD spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice, and it went on no more. And He wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me.  (23)  (5:20) And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;  (24)  (5:21) and ye said: 'Behold, the LORD our God hath shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth speak with man, and he liveth.  (25)  (5:22) Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die.  (26)  (5:23) For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?  (27)  (5:24) Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the LORD our God may speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.'  (28)  (5:25) And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spoke unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said all that they have spoken.  (29)  (5:26) Oh that they had such a heart as this alway, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!  (30)  (5:27) Go say to them: Return ye to your tents.  (31)  (5:28) But as for thee, stand thou here by Me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.'  (32)  (5:29) Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.  (33)  (5:30) Ye shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.  (6:1)  Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it -  (2)  that thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.  (3)  Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee - a land flowing with milk and honey.  (4)  HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.  (5)  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  (6)  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;  (7)  and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (8)  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.  (9)  And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.  (10)  And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land which He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee - great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build,  (11)  and houses full of all good things, which thou didst not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which thou the didst not hew, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou didst not plant, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied -  (12)  then beware lest thou forget the LORD, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  (13)  Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear.  (14)  Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you;  (15)  for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.  (16)  Ye shall not try the LORD your God, as ye tried Him in Massah.  (17)  Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee.  (18)  And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers,  (19)  to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.  (20)  When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?  (21)  then thou shalt say unto thy son: 'We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.  (22)  And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes.  (23)  And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers.  (24)  And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.  (25)  And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.'  (7:1)  When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;  (2)  and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them;  (3)  neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.  (4)  For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly.  (5)  But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.  (6)  For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.  (7)  The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people - for ye were the fewest of all peoples -  (8)  but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  (9)  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations;  (10)  and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face.  (11)  Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.

Moses tells the people of Israel how he implored G-d to allow him to enter the land of Israel, but G-d refused, instructing him instead to ascend a mountain and see the Promised Land.

But you who cleave to the L-rd your G-d are alive, every one of you, this day (4:4)

The wicked, even in their lifetimes, are considered dead... The righteous, even in death, are considered alive.

(Talmud, Berachot 18a-b)

G-d is the exclusive source of life; hence life, by definition, is connection with G-d. A "life" of disconnection from G-d is pseudo-life -- life devoid of all but its most superficial illusory shell.

(The Chassidic Masters)

Often, I hear people say, "Well, I am not all that religious but I do keep the Ten Commandments." At such times I'm tempted to say, "Really?

As most of you know...I normally veil my head and look like this...

But as most of you also know..I am in the process of trying to get a job. Now I could try to force them to let me veil (Which is not part of the dress code) and most likely not get the job or I can go along with their dress code while at work and veil when I am not at work. I pick choice #2 as I need a job.

So why do I need your help? I need your help with my hair.

I had my husband take some pictures of my hair tonight. I need you to give me ideas on what I should do with it (color it or anything else etc) or if it looks good as it is.

Here are the pictures....Help me please.

Here is my youngest one imitating the smiley

I did a post about rearranging the kitchen...so I thought I would show you much of the rest of the house....
I posted pictures of our bedroom before and the small tiny bathroom (Barely can hold the shower, sink and toilet) So I thought I would share pictures of the living room and boys room today. S' room I will save for another day.

First two are the boy's room...all except the bed in the corner.
 

Here is the Hamster named Sam (He is albino)

This is the living room. In this picture you can see the door to S' room with horses on it. Two hamster cages...and the record player. To your left off picture would be the kitchen and the kitchen table that you saw yesterday.

This is what you see when you turn left from the last photo. You already saw the bathroom door from the kitchen pictures.

Make a left from the last picture and you see this. The two chairs to sit on in the living room....yes that is all that fits. The living room is really tiny...just like the kitchen and bathroom and bedrooms etc.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour of our house. (as you can see C followed me the whole way through wanting to be in all the pictures) I dare you to do the same thing.....go take pictures...a picture tour of your house and share it with us

Let me know if you do.

How do you like our little place?

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the young boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark and realizing how tired he was, the boy got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy, Son?

"He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

~author unknown~

What are your thoughts? I just came across this website.

They Look Great ~ they give ordinary baby duds that extra little something
They Stay On ~ babies that tear off hats, constantly keep them on because they can't see the brim
They are Soft and Comfy ~ no rough or scratchy Velcro
They Support Children in Need ~ 25% of our Proceeds go directly to Children who need help
They Prevent Sun Exposed Scalps in the summer and keep heat in during winter. Extreme weather can be dangerous for infant scalps and a WWooBie™ stays in place even on the playground!

Would you put one on your child? Do you like them? What do you think?

Today was a day of rearranging the kitchen. The area where we live in in quite small for a family of 5 so we are always looking for ways to make it "look bigger" Today was Kitchen rearrange day.

From the Kitchen we have the entrance to our bedroom.

Here is the picture that hangs above the entrance

Here is our refrigerator and the cabinet that was moved to beside the fridge. The cabinet is where the table used to be.

These next two were taken from our bedroom doorway. They are of the sink/Table area

To take the next two I smooshed myself against the stove...in the top corner of our kitchen. In the last picture you can see the hutch which is older then me (Ignore the mess...not all is finished)

from this picture you can also see the living room and the doorway to the bathroom (Which my daughter is coming out of as I took the picture)

so there is our kitchen.

Psalms 126:1-6  A Song of Ascents. When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream.  (2)  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; then said they among the nations: 'The LORD hath done great things with these.'  (3)  The LORD hath done great things with us; we are rejoiced.  (4)  Turn our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the dry land.  (5)  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  (6)  Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed, he shall come home with joy, bearing his sheaves.

This Psalm is one of rejoicing after returning home to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. At one time the nation was glorious, it reached its zenith of power during the reign of Solomon. But, because of idolatry the city was destroyed and the Northern Kingdom of Israel went into captivity in 721 BC by the Assyrians. Then the Southern Kingdom of Judah went into captivity in 606 BC by the Babylonians. And as the Southern Kingdom was being led into Babylon, we read in Psalm 137:1-4, "By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' How shall we sing the Lord's song In a foreign land?" Their joy was gone, and their captors wanted them to sing, but no one felt like singing any longer. But now it was time to head home and as they did, the song in their heart was heard on their lips. They were back in the land that YHWH had given them.

Don't think they came home to palaces and beautiful homes. Jerusalem was in ruins, like a big rock heap. And yet, joy filled their hearts, no matter how tough it might be. They recognized YHWH's hand upon their lives, and the other nations also saw these Jewish captives returning home, and recognized YHWH was with them.

There's an old hymn based on this verse:
"Bringing in the Sheaves"
(2nd verse) Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,
Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping's over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

God turns tears to joy, but it comes to those who don't stop sowing seed.
We need to be careful that we don't stop sowing seed, even if you're weeping.

Gal 6:7-10  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. {8} For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. {9} And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. {10} As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

What's the seed we need to keep sowing?
Good deeds.  YHWH's Word.  The gospel.
Don't stop sowing, even when it's tough.
We must also understand that our labor is not in vain, for there will be a bountiful harvest, there will be fruit from our labors. Don't give up. As Paul said in I Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

Shalom uv'racha