I've been thinking about joy a lot lately, and I think perhaps that is the thing that throughout this entire year, I've had to learn, and relearn... and learn some more! Learning to be thankful, and joyful, in spite of whatever circumstances come my way.
Why is it that the greatest joy spoken of in scripture, is always - almost without exception - accompanied by deep sorrow or painful experiences?
Have you ever thought about that?
2 Corinthians 8:2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their JOY and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
In our human way of thinking, the two never should meet. How can you have joy, when at the same time you have sorrow?
This is a lesson the Lord has been teaching me, throughout the entirety of this year, and I am still learning!
Does one ever fully learn, and comprehend, and accept this lesson completely?
I know I am making progress. I am learning to find joy in the small, minuscule things of life that may not matter to anyone else, but bring joy to my heart.
Today... I am learning the lesson of finding joy again, in a difficult moment.
I woke up this morning to find that the faucets, when turned on, had no water. No water in the toilet. No water to make this morning's coffee.
No water here in the dead of winter, means only one terrible thing... a water line break. Of course.
And my husband is on an extended business trip, and won't be home until next weekend. Of course.
JOY in the moment... WHERE are you?
But, I began to think of how much worse it could be.
- I could be living in a third world country where no fresh running water is how life is. I live in a land where fresh water is available freely! Thank you Lord!
- The ground could be frozen 4 feet deep, but its not! We've had a week of warmer weather, and thus the ground is not frozen - thank you Lord!
- It is not snowing, raining or terribly cold outside today - thank you Lord!
- Our 17-year-old son, while not terribly happy to get woken up so early with the news that he needed to start digging - was glad to be of service to his family, and willing to help. Thank you Lord!
- We found the water leak after about an hour or so of digging in a pipe that will be relatively easy to fix, about 3 feet down. So thankful it wasn't 5 feet down, or in a more difficult location. Thank you Lord!
JOY... I will accept you, and be thankful for you. I do know that this kind of JOY comes only in the difficult situations that we face, and we can have it, and it is ours to have. It is our gift from the Lord in the moments of life when we need it the most.
Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
May the JOY of the Lord be with you today... whatever situation you are facing... however big or small it may be... the JOY of the Lord is the gift from our dear Lord and Savior to get you through the moments of difficulty you face.
May your JOY be complete in Him!
May your JOY be complete in Him!
I will praise you Lord, and be thankful. My JOY is complete in HIM!
PS: We don't have running water... yet. But progress is being made. I'm writing this while our son went to the hardware store to purchase the tools and pieces we need to fix the pipe. He is back now, and I am looking out at the window at our precious son who is working away at it, and we are getting closer to a resolution. We will have water soon, and these difficult moments will soon be a memory. But the lesson I've learned this morning, once again... is invaluable.
PS: We don't have running water... yet. But progress is being made. I'm writing this while our son went to the hardware store to purchase the tools and pieces we need to fix the pipe. He is back now, and I am looking out at the window at our precious son who is working away at it, and we are getting closer to a resolution. We will have water soon, and these difficult moments will soon be a memory. But the lesson I've learned this morning, once again... is invaluable.
PSS: We have water! About 2:00 in the afternoon, water was restored! Thank you LORD!
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In everything give thanks! I am sorry that you had water issues...but thanking our Lord that it is not super cold and snowing or icy outside! :) love, mari
ReplyDeleteYes, we have so much to be thankful for... it is so much better to find things to be thankful for, than to be discouraged over difficulties. God is so good to us! I appreciate your sweet visit today, and pray the Lord is blessing your day my friend!
DeleteWeeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5 Thank you for your words today!I hope you have water soon!
ReplyDeleteOh, I do so love that verse... thank you for sharing that with me today, and yes, we do have water, thank you Lord! So thankful for the fact that we were able to find it quickly, and not have to do a ton of digging. Sure am thankful, and full of joy indeed! Appreciate your visit today :)
DeleteGood Monday morning. I hope that by now you have your water restored to your house. What a thing to go through but you went through it with grace and peace and a great son to help. There is a severe winter storm coming later today and into tomorrow so we may lose power and my hubby is away for the day in another province so the drive home may be treacherous, if they don't get storm-stayed. I'm praying he'll get home safely and can run the generator if we need it. Thank you for the words of encouragement shared here and I wish you a blessed day and week. Pam
ReplyDeleteWe did get water restored (I updated my post this morning)... and oh how thankful we were that it wasn't as bad as it could have been! I'm sorry to hear that you have a severe winter storm coming in, and I do hope you won't need your generator. We are keeping ours handy as well, because this year has been an eventful year for sure! I hope your husband is able to get home without difficulty. I will pray for you, because I know how much more difficult it is to face these things when the strong arms and shoulders of our husbands are not there to help. Much love to you, and I pray your day is blessed today :)
DeleteAwe...yes! We all need Joy of the Lord, every.single.day! He is what keeps us going when we need that extra push!
ReplyDeleteI hope you now have water and all is back to normal. You have raised a fine young "hard working" man. That's awesome that he went out there and dug to find the problem. For that is worth a ton of Joy!!
Great post!
I hope you enjoy your week!
Hugs, Amy
Thank you Amy, indeed I count myself so very blessed, and things could always be worse! It is in these moments that we stop and think of the many blessings that the Lord has given us, even when we face some difficulties. And we are so thankful to have gotten the water back on yesterday around 2 (I updated my post just a little bit ago). I hope you had a blessed and wonderful weekend :)
DeleteAwe...yes! We all need Joy of the Lord, every.single.day! He is what keeps us going when we need that extra push!
ReplyDeleteI hope you now have water and all is back to normal. You have raised a fine young "hard working" man. That's awesome that he went out there and dug to find the problem. For that is worth a ton of Joy!!
Great post!
I hope you enjoy your week!
Hugs, Amy
Joy seems so much sweeter after we have suffered a bit. Yet in comparison to those who live in third world countries, we actually live like kings. Oh, yes, we do take so many things for granted until we don't have them. Like the ice storm which knocked out our power a couple of weeks ago. Joy in the little things as well as the big things is a gift. Would that we all could count it ALL JOY when things don't go as we want them to. The scriptures say it all.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear your darling son was able to dig down and fix the problem. Bless his heart! I bet that cup of coffee is tasting mighty good now. Thank you for sharing and spreading a little joy our way!
Christmas blessings,
Sandi
You are so right "joy is much sweeter after we have suffered a bit"... It seems a bit of a conundrum but it holds true in the difficult life situations that come our way. The scriptures certainly do paint a beautiful picture of the gift of joy that comes to us in the moment we need it most. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and your visit today. You are such a treasured friend, and I appreciate you so much! Praying you have a blessed and lovely day today!
DeleteI am sorry to hear about your break, but how truly lucky you are to have such a wonderful son. That certainly is a joy. As I was reading this I thought about my mom. She is in hospice care now and that is sad and yes, we are all suffering, watching her deteriorate. However, the other night, I went to her beside and we watched an old movie together. I held her hand in silence and she looked at me and smiled throughout the evening. It's a terrible situation, but we found joy in time together and I am so grateful for moments like that.
ReplyDeleteOH Kim... what a beautiful sharing of the difficult moments you are facing. I'm so sorry to hear of your mom now in Hospice care, and at such a difficult time of year too! My goodness. It is a terrible situation to go through, but I do pray that you can find peace and joy in the midst of your sorrow of being with your mother. Please know you are in my prayers. I don't just say that. I mean it. I am praying for you dear friend! Much love being sent your way!
DeleteSo great that all has turned out well for you.. Bless our kids, eh? Joy is a wonderful gift from God and so happy to have it in our hearts... xo
ReplyDeleteOh yes, what would we do without our precious children! I was so thankful that our son rose to the occasion without his father here to help and guide him. It was a great experience for us both, and truly joy does come to us in a beautiful way in the times when we face situations that are difficult. Thank you dear Faye for your visit today!
DeleteSo great that all has turned out well for you.. Bless our kids, eh? Joy is a wonderful gift from God and so happy to have it in our hearts... xo
ReplyDeleteOh, sweet friend! I sit here in tears as I read of your trials! Bless your dear hearts. I am so sorry you had to go through this. Sometimes the tribulations of life come so thick and so fast, we barely catch our breath in between hurdles. But, oh, God is faithful! What a blessing that your son knows how to do these kinds of things! That is an amazing gift to behold. It touched me so deep inside, because I can just imagine how proud of him you are and to see him out there working so hard to make things right and taking on that kind of responsibility. You and your friendship and your blog are such gifts to me. I am praying for you, dear one, and I am so thankful you now have water again!!! I love the verses you quoted...especially the one about how no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous, but nevertheless afterwards it yields that peaceful fruit of righteousness...in them that are exercised thereby. God has shown me so many times that we have to allow Him to exercise us by our trials...otherwise we go through them and don't learn a thing. This Christian life is full of peaks and valleys, but God is ever constant, regardless. Sending you much love and many hugs...God bless you in a big way! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful words of encouragement Cheryl! You are such a treasure, a precious friend, and I do appreciate the prayers! I do know that it is in the difficult moments in life that we are able to have the most beautiful and precious gifts from the Lord. I have always wondered why joy and sorrow are often found together, but it is the way the Lord designed it, and what a comfort to have the joy of the Lord in your heart, in SPITE of your circumstance. It is a lesson that we seem to have to keep relearning though! I appreciate your encouragement so much, and the time you take to share your thoughts here. May the Lord bless your day today, and keep you full of His peace and joy!
DeleteI often feel that without sorrow we would not know the preciousness of joy in our lives. Sorrow , sadness will always be there, in our lives, in the world, but over it all is God's hand showing us a way to see the rainbows of joy.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring post this is.
I often feel that without sorrow we would not know the preciousness of joy in our lives. Sorrow , sadness will always be there, in our lives, in the world, but over it all is God's hand showing us a way to see the rainbows of joy.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring post this is.
When we realize that the presence of the Living God is with us and in us always, that He is never not with us, that He floods our entire being continuously and eternally with His love, His pleasure, His tender care, His very self! then even in the blackest part of the night we know the Joy of His presence. No matter what external forces may come against us, we are safe. We are loved beyond comprehension!
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