Joy In Our Hardship

           

        Early morning is probably my favorite time of the day.  Everything is still and quiet.  I take great joy is standing at the window with coffee in hand, looking into the the the space we call “the outdoors,” to bask in God’s creation.  As the rays of sunshine begin to brighten my world I have a sense of awe, which defies description.  I’ve often wondered how places can create such an indescribable sensation.

            While joy is one of the greatest pleasures we can experience, sadness, hurt and hardship can be quite the opposite. Yet isn’t it here where we find our greatest strength?  It is in stressful, uncomfortable and unnerving situations we choose to lean the greatest on God.

            In our world it’s easy to get “lost” in the negative occurrences of life.  We all experience some kind of pain, probably on a day to day basis, at some level or another.  Satan and his minions pounce at every opportunity to rob us of the joy that is ours through Christ.  He sets our emotions so they implode upon themselves, leaving us depressed, sad, frustrated, worried and angry.  He uses the emotions to twist our minds and hearts away from a loving God who wants only good in our lives.

            A young couple I know just lost their newborn baby.  It’s a tragic loss and will cause pain for a long time, yet even here we discover when we are weakest, God is greatest.  He still allows the sun to rise, the rainbow to color the sky, the birds to sing, the cool breeze to blow on a hot day and the ability for us as humans, to see glimpses of His glory despite our pain.

            Still when we think of joy we often liken it to Christmas.  This is the time of year when people are glad, excited, and often kinder, even while we stifle the urge to share the secrets contained in the boxes with pretty ribbons and bows.  In the midst of this delightful environment, we hear of the person who objects to the expression “Merry Christmas” or of those who disallow the singing of Christmas Carols in our schools.  How can we have joy when we feel sad, or even a degree of anger at a society that chooses to alienate themselves from, for many, the most joyful season of the year?

            Jesus came to provide us with a means to look beyond our sadness, and sometimes even the emptiness we feel.  Can you imagine how those first Shepherds must have felt when they realized the magnificence of the occasion, realizing they were seeing the Messiah?  We can experience that same joy, that same awe and wonder despite our pain, sadness or loneliness for the single reason that God came into the world as a tiny baby Jesus while knowing he would die a horrible death on a cross.  He took my pain, sin and guilt.  This is reason for Joy!

            So I challenge you, whether the season is Christmas, Easter, Veteran’s Day, or any day without even a “holiday” significance, to find a reason to express joy, even in your hardship; even when pain spears your heart to tears.  God is with you…..always, …….giving us reason for Joy!