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This Joy I Have

This Joy I Have

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I remember not too long ago I went to visit some patients at a local rehab center, and for some reason that night it felt different than it had on previous visits. It seemed like everyone we visited was so full of the love of the Lord that it was almost overwhelming. They couldn’t wait to talk about how much they loved Him and trusted Him. 

The best part was that they didn’t feel like their current circumstances meant that they were being punished for anything. Sometimes we feel like God is not pleased with us so He takes it out on us. That is so far from the truth. And the people in the rehab center that day knew it. They knew that they could still have the joy of the Lord in the midst of what they were going through. They didn’t doubt that God was in control, and that what they were experiencing was His all-encompassing, all-consuming, all-powerful grace.

It brings me joy just thinking about God’s goodness and how His grace is so amazing. And the really awesome part is that we can’t do anything to deserve it, or to get more of it. God just gives it to us brand new every morning. The word says that we are blessed in the city and in the country (Deuteronomy 28:3). We are blessed going out and coming in (Deuteronomy 28:6). God covers us no matter where we are, and He never has, or ever will turn His back on us. Amen.

The joy of the Lord says that even when you have a hard time feeling His presence, you can be assured that He is always there. That’s His promise. I love knowing that because you and I mess up…sometimes big time, we can still have joy knowing that trouble won’t last always. Nothing we do will ever stop how He feels about us. He delights in us, and He looks forward to blessing us. And we will always be the apple of His eye. Praise God!

Until next time…

Be blessed

Are You Happy?

Are You Happy?

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That’s the question I want to start this post with today.

As I was contemplating what “happy” really meant, it made me wonder why being happy is so important. We work really hard at finding happiness, or trying to make someone else happy. What I realized is that a lot of it is based on what they show on television, right? The kind of life where the guy always gets the girl, (or the girl gets the guy), and all of our problems get worked out by the end of the show. That would be nice, but that’s not reality. At least not for many of us.

What I found is that happiness can be fleeting, because it’s dependent on something external. Something has to happen for us to be happy. We have to get the promotion, the new job, the mate we have always wanted….something. 

But what if we sought “joy” instead?

The toughest storm can’t even affect it. I know that sounds confusing. Storms in themselves can be terrifying. But the Bible says that in the Lord we have the “fullness of joy.”  The kind that the world can’t control, or influence. It doesn’t matter how strong the storm may seem…this joy comes from the inside. It is God-given.

It is not dependent on anyone doing anything. 

This kind of joy happens when we give our lives to Christ. It is given to us through the Holy Spirit that dwells within all of God’s people. It is part of our inheritance.

There is nothing wrong with being happy. Life is too short and God has been too good to live a miserable life. But, if you want the kind of joy that the world cannot give…the kind that strengthens, the kind that transforms, the kind that comforts, the kind that is everlasting…only God can give you that. 

And all you have to do is just ask, and then believe you have it…

Until next time…

Be blessed

Open Mind

Open Mind

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The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting colder. It’s starting to feel a lot like winter is coming. This time of year always reminds me that the holidays are fast approaching. 

I have always loved Christmas. I even love the tired and frustrated cashiers…because, I know that at the end of the day…they are trying to get it done just like everybody else. As followers of Christ, we have to be able to represent Him wherever we go…even when we are standing in long lines!

But, for the last couple of years it hasn’t been the same, and what I used to enjoy is now becoming more of a chore. We have had so many losses, and changes in my family that I am beginning to struggle with the thought of the holidays coming. On the one hand, I love everything about the holidays…especially Christmas. I have always loved watching Christmas movies, singing Christmas  songs, and even baking Christmas cookies. Now, it all just makes me realize how much we have lost, and how different everything will be from now on.

But even with feeling the way I do, I still believe the words in Nehemiah 8:10  when it says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” We will get our joy back. We will get our peace back. We will get back everything the enemy has tried to take from us, because that’s how our God works. Nobody can take what God has decreed belongs to us.

Although change is hard, especially when it involves a loss, we can trust that God has a blessing right in the midst of it. Even knowing that, coming to terms with it is still not easy. Trying to pick up our lives, and move on knowing that nothing in our lives will ever be the same is difficult. But, this year I will be working hard to embrace this new chapter with an open mind knowing that with God’s help I can do anything.

Until next time…

Be blessed