“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 5:13
Remember when we were young. We could find amazement, wonder or joy in even the little things. Then as we got older and found real responsibility the joy of life diminished. Perhaps this is not what God intends. Does He desire for us to lose the ability to find joy in His creation, in people or in our own kids?
Over the past nine months I have been challenged by my mentor to find joy in everything. At first it seemed impossible. As I prayed and sought to find hope and joy in the midst of hard times, I found that this verse is true. Hope and joy come from trust in God. As I sought God for increased faith and trust I began to arrive at a resolve within that God has purpose in everything even issues, challenges and trails. I found that when we begin to truly believe this we no longer need to hold on so tight and try to fix everything ourselves. Rather we can turn to the Lord in prayer and seek increased faith and He will respond. I discovered that my faith was not near as strong as I thought it was. When I admitted this and earnestly sought the Lord to grow me it began slowly but I gradually found more and more peace in the midst of a challenging time. As that grew I found respite in what I might describe as peace and happiness that over time grew more prevalent and longer over time. To move deeper towards joy I found that letting go of the hurt and mistrust that came with the issues was essential to seeing brief flashes of true deep joy.
As I turned and faced deep hurts I had not yet released and learned to cry before the Lord seeking healing, and calling out for his help… I found myself naturally confessing in tears as well.
These lead to increased dependence upon the Lord, growing trust and in turn a return of joy in the little things of life I had not had in ages. Little things like the clouds, the blue sky and the sun bouncing off of trees and grass found pleasure in my inner being. I began to find reasons to laugh in the midst of stress and issues that once would have overwhelmed me.
If you are facing issues and trials and have lost your joy in life and the little things start by examine your faith in God. Does it extend to the challenges you are facing. Can you rest in a deep belief of his unending love for you, that He has a plan, not to harm but to bless you and in His purpose to bring us all a meaningful life full of joy!
Maybe the challenges are blessings rather then a problem we need to fix!!! Perhaps they are designed, like they were for me, to bring you to a place of letting go
- of trying to fix it all
- of control
- of worry
And to a place of dependence that is deeper then I understood was possible.
When color returns to life and we experience the true freedom of Christ we can find true joy in life and the little things of life again. If you would like to talk with me about your challenges and the journey God has brought me through to find the joy of life again it
would truly be my pleasure and bring joy to my heart.
I look forward to talking with you. You can reach me through our contact form and simply put lets talk about joy… smile!