Missing Joy

By J.L Wallace

When we sense that something in our life is missing, we go looking for it. But how do you find joy and what does it look like? There a lot of things in life that can steal our joy: loss of a loved one, job, or a home. Things like that are hard enough to deal with, but add a disaster like a hurricane, tornado or raging fire and our fragile hold on joy can dissolve into an abyss of hopelessness. When life throws its worst at you, a whole menagerie of emotions boils within us and joy isn’t usually one of them. Yet, the Bible tell us in James 1: 2, ” Count it all joy, when you fall into various trials ,knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. . {endurance, perseverance}. I don’t know many people who pray for patience, let alone feel joyful when they’re going through a storm, trial or tragedy in their life. I can only think of a few times when I felt even a tad bit of joy in the midst of a struggle or trial in my life, and even that seemed like a fleeting emotion.

  But joy is more than a fleeting emotion.

Unger’s Bible dictionary describes joy as — A delight of the mind arising from an assured possession of a future good. A Moderate gladness suddenly raised to the highest degree. And it goes on to say, when joy settles into our temperament it’s called cheerfulness, which is a natural joy. There’s also a moral joy which comes from the performance of good works. This kind of joy is referred to as peace or serenity of conscience and there’s also spiritual joy which is a fruit of the Spirit {Gal. 5:22} So joy can come as a result of the hope of something good in the future, good deeds, a sudden expression of joy, and the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. {Nehemiah 8:10}

When we put our trust in God, He gives us hope. Hope is like an elevator that rises within us and helps us get through the struggles of life. . . and one of the benefits of hope is joy. Psalms 16:11 “You will show me the paths of life and in your presence is fullness of joy.” This verse reveals a key to having joy in your everyday life. The key is to be God’s presence on a continual basis. So, no matter what we’re doing or where we are we can still abide in God’s presence, know we’re loved and trust that he will get us through the storms of life and bring joy to our heart and life as we dwell in his presence.

Website: http://gracefulpen.mystrikingly.com/