My middle name is Joy.
It's funny. As a child, I tended to be the grumpier one amongst my siblings. My dad even used to call me "Grumpy" after one of the dwarves from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. (What a lovely nickname, right?) :P
As I grew older, I grew out of some... (Wish I could say all) of my grumpiness. Let's face it - I still have grumpy days... We all do! Admit it, you get grumpy sometimes. I'm not saying you're not allowed to be grumpy. We're only human. But what think ye about joy?
One of my favourite scripture verses is in Nehemiah 8:10, which says "The joy of the Lord is my strength".
The joy of the Lord.
When trials come, I want that joy to remain. Rejoicing in Christ Jesus, having full assurance of faith that all things will work together for good.
I think that's what being a follower of God is about. Focusing more on our Lord and less on the things of the world that try to tear us apart. When we turn our eyes on Jesus, the things of the world don't seem so overwhelming.When we focus on serving Him and serving the people He has placed around us, we are investing in something greater than ourselves.
In the book of Nehemiah, Jewish people were returning to Israel, and Nehemiah helped lead the excursion to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. They faced a lot of opposition. But they pressed on. At times, the builders even had to hold a weapon in one hand while they worked. Not quite ideal, is it? It meant that the wall took a longer time to rebuild than they first expected. However, they continued to make progress, no matter how slow that progress was. And that is always, always better than no progress whatsoever.
The enemy is constantly at work, trying to steal our joy. He can't steal our salvation, so he does his best to take our joy and make us question the importance of, well, anything and everything pertaining to the Word of God. You tell that old devil NO. Guard the door, lock him out. You will absolutely face rough days, storms, trials, sufferings, you name it. But don't let your joy be stolen. Keep the sword raised - the Word of God - as it is our greatest weapon to combat the enemy's attacks.
Having joy doesn't mean you're always smiling and laughing. I think it means that despite the hardships we face, we keep pressing on in faith, believing that all is well because our Lord is Lord over all. Having the joy of the Lord is about resting in the assurance of His goodness.
Rejoice! For He is good.
