Why We Must Search For Joy To Really Live…

Driving home on Interstate 10 after Bible study with a group of beautiful ladies at Nineteen:Ten Church, the little man in the car seat behind me nodded off to sleep. Ominous dark clouds billowed in front of me as traffic moved along rather steadily, a nice change from the frantic commute this morning. For a split second, my eyes were glued to these monstrous masses of shades of grey and black against the backdrop of a clear blue sky. It was spectacular! Of course, my second thought after catching myself not really paying much attention to the vehicles whizzing by me was, ‘Oh, that I could catch this in a photo because attempting to describe the sight from memory will never be as good.’

That thought led me to begin a conversation with the Creator of those giant ‘bonfire-lookin’ marshmallows in the sky’ about how many drivers, heading straight towards them, as well, were even aware of their beauty or might they be feeling like those clouds, full of darkness, ready to burst from grief or too many emotions, all bottled up inside?

Isn’t it true, that, at times, life is anything but joy-filled? What does the preschool teacher do with a student that screams all day long in her class because she was removed from her mother’s care due to the woman’s boyfriend beating this precious little girl and locking her in a room? Is it possible to build trust with that sweet little girl who only knows abuse, let alone give her an education so she can go to a Tier 1 university someday? Or a child comes to class with a black eye and bruises all over her or what about the homeless siblings that come to school dirty, hungry and distraught? How many women ache because their husbands have been ensnared by pornography or have left them for another woman or are addicted to prescription medication?

Is it possible to have joy when one sees hurt, anguish and destruction on a regular basis? This overwhelming sorrow is a dark cloud, capable of engulfing and choking someone to death…and each of us, in one way or another have experiences that have either propelled us closer to the Creator of our hearts or crushed us under the weight of some of these very circumstances.

Joy is snuffed out and beauty disappears when we DWELL on the dark sorrow of our situation.

There will always be storms. Jesus promised this in John 16:33:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

He emphatically states that we need to take heart. If he tells us to ‘take heart’, that must also mean that we can lose heart. Losing heart means one is so discouraged by their troubles they lose not only their joy but their peace.

But, Jesus is the Rock that we cling to when the storms hit. Each blow to our joy is an opportunity to run Home, sit on Daddy’s lap and soak in His presence and peace. He has offered to shelter us, shield us, protect us, fight for us, equip us and then send us out once more, full of Himself-for He himself is our joy. We can’t control what other people are going to do with their lives, the choices they’ll make and even how those choices will affect us, but we can choose to cling to Love, be romanced by Love and filled with Love so our responses bring overcoming victory to our weary soul.

If today, you’ve lost your joy, please listen to me. Grab hold of the truth that you are not alone. God sees your aching heart, the battles you’re facing. He has opened a door of freedom for you through the blood of His Son, Jesus. By HIS power, His grace and His love, you can find joy —it is your strength.

You know you’ve found your joy again…

~when you say No to lies.