I have to chuckle at today’s topic: JOY!!
Right now, I’m not feeling joyful. We are having one of the worst bedtime battles we have had in a VERY long time. Part of me wants to give and just put the portable DVD player on their bed and let them fall asleep watching a BBC Nature Film. It would be a lot easier. It would also cause more problems tomorrow….
And then I read the Leader’s Guide!! Oh Brooke, how did you know I was gonna be encountering this on Day 10?? 😉 (I know it’s not really her that gets the credit, so don’t call me on it, okay.)
Encouragement from Brooke: What is joy really? And if my strength comes from the joy of the Lord (Psalm 28:7), then what does the joy of the Lord really look like?
As I write these words, I’m struggling with a deep desire to be grumpy and complain. Most days I handle my husband’s crazy shift-work schedule pretty well. But today? Well, today I feel like complaining. So how do I find joy and strength from the Lord? Enough to make me “burst out in songs of thanksgiving?”
How do you?
Here’s the secret: Focus on Christ. Focus on what He did for you (and for your sons) on the cross. I suspect we Christians have a tendency to misunderstand the phrase, “placing our trust in Christ.” Placing our trust in Christ isn’t something we did once and never do again. Salvation may be a once and forever event, but trusting in Christ is ongoing. Trusting in Christ’s work of grace on the cross to be important enough to change my grumpiness to gratefulness. Trusting in Christ’s work of grace on the cross to get me through a rough day with my children. Trusting in Christ’s work of grace on the cross to be enough when I’m enduring tantrums in the grocery store. Trusting in Christ’s work of grace on the cross when my sons choose their own will …
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my
heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” ~Psalm 28:7
Ponder this? Christ’s work on the cross was never intended to be something we took joy in one time and then never again. Thinking on His work and embracing it with a heart of gratefulness is enough to make even the grumpiest among us “burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” No matter where we are, or what we’re experiencing, we CAN find joy in focusing on all that Christ has done and made possible through His death and resurrection.
So Today, like every other day, I CHOOSE Joy. And I pray that as I model this to my kids, they will learn to find their strength in the Joy of the Lord – even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.
And while you’re here, why not check out Girl of Cardigan‘s thoughts on Joy & Happiness. A very good read.
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