Can you believe it’s October already? Wow! Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday we were just beginning the New Year and all that it would have for us. Now, we’re nearing the end of this year, and looking back on all the blessings that God has poured out on us, and the trials He’s brought us through.
Needless to say, several of us have had our share of set-backs and disappointments this year, too. But, through it all God has stood by us and provided the help and strength we’ve needed to get us through, and He is STILL providing our help and strength day-by-day, isn’t He? And, thank God He is!
It reminds me that we all have a choice to make. We can either choose to focus on the bad, or choose to see the good. I would encourage all of us to choose to have JOY amidst the pain. Why?
Well, should I cry, scream and have a pity party when things get tough or should I do as I have been doing and give thanks to God for His sustenance, provision and peace amidst the storm? I hope we will chose the latter no matter how tough a situation is in life and because I believe God honors our faithfulness.
There has never been a challenge too great that God wasn’t able to help us through it and because we have come through them so many times before, it makes it easier for us to trust that God will work all things out for our good now and in the future to come!
My friends, no matter what you may be facing I want you to know that it will be well with you in the end, but you must be at peace right now while you are going through that trouble. You have to see the end result as being good while you are still struggling and see only the bad. That is what faith is; seeing with our spiritual eyes what we can’t currently see with our natural eyes.
I encourage you to not look at the darkness and feel overwhelmed, but with childlike faith and trust know that your Heavenly Father will make a way for you even when it doesn’t look possible. That is the great thing about God. He is able to do the impossible at exactly the right moment when we need it most!
Thomas Aquinas once said, “No one can live without joy.” But many people try. And the reason is often simply because they don’t know how to be happy! They are so intent on the three P’s – power, prosperity and prestige – that they miss out on joy.
Try to imagine this picture: It is a photograph taken by Henri Cartier-Bressen, who pioneered modern photography as an art form during the early decades of the 20th Century. He became known for his photographs of apparent contradictions – pictures that left mysteries unexplained.
One of his famous photographs was shot in a poor section of Spain in the 1930s. The picture depicts a run-down alley surrounded by decaying walls, strewn with rubble randomly stacked in thick piles lying on the street, and riddled with bullet holes dotting gray walls. The setting alone evokes feelings of sadness and despair.
But then…the contradiction. Within the grim alley children are playing. They wear dirty and tattered clothes, as one might expect in such a setting, but like playing children everywhere, they laugh with carefree joy. In the foreground, a tiny boy on crutches hobbles away from two other boys, his face lit up with a broad grin. One boy is laughing so hard he has to hold his side. Others lean on the cracked walls, beaming with delight.
It is easy to spot the contrast – and the point. Joy amidst the rubble of life. Laughter amongst life’s ruins.
We cannot avoid pain, however hard we try. But we can avoid joy. We cannot escape hardship and trouble, but we can miss out on much of life’s peace and laughter.
If you feel as if you could use more joy in your life, try this:
Spend time daily doing something you enjoy. Do those things that bring inner peace. Learn to laugh heartily and frequently. Cultivate an attitude of hope. Fill each day with as much love as it can possibly hold.
Oh, you’ll still have plenty of problems, but through it all, you’ll find all the joy you will ever need!
I trust that this message inspires and challenges your heart to never lose your zeal for life. Wake up each new day eager to see what new adventures are waiting for you, with God’s help!