Category Archives: Joy

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Celebrating in times of Distress

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Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

During the advent season, many are looking forward to time shared with family and friends, however, others of us may find that this time of year has more challenges than pleasures.  Gatherings present various issues for me.  The biggest challenge is food.  I have to navigate what is available so that I eat enough without getting so sick that I can’t enjoy myself.  Clothing is another challenge as I am very sensitive to both fabrics and temperature.  What may work one day may not on another.  An additional hurdle is a heightened “flight or fight” response.  Consequently, my physical response to uncomfortable social situations and personality differences are often exacerbated.  While I will enjoy those with whom I celebrate, there are many others that I wish the celebrations would include, but will not; they will be sorely missed.  There are also uncertainties in our life making this holiday season less than carefree.  I am not alone in any of this as I recognize that many will find it difficult to enjoy the holidays this year due to their own health issues, the rigors of travel, the loss of loved ones, family conflicts, etc.  Yet in our trials, we should still seek to experience the peace, hope, and joy that our Savior provides. 

With all of the activities of this year, I am already spent so I must admit that I am less than enthused with respect to any more activities that make significant demands of me.  However, I realize that celebrating the incarnation of Christ and the time spent with family will have benefits both spiritually and emotionally.  I believe our ever gracious Savior understands my weakness and placed Isaiah 41:10 before me in light of the advent season as a reminder of my true source of peace, hope and joy.

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Foundation of Hope

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Snowdrops, hope of spring

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13

When I got out of bed this morning it was 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  Anyone who knows me understands that I hate winter.  Having confessed that fact, God is also working to remove my complaining spirit with respect to cold weather as He has convicted me that the weather is ordained by Him and is one of those things that requires that I trust His wisdom.  That said, this time of year I still long for warmer weather and look for indications that it’s coming.  The first sign that gives me hope of more agreeable temperatures is the appearance of snowdrops (shown above).  They are the very first flowers to blossom and snow does not bother them.  My Aunt Margaret was the first to introduce me to them and they have been a staple in my garden since then as they provide the hope of spring and a reminder of the loving relationship that I had with her.    The next hopeful sign is the sound of birds chirping in the early morning and the appearance of Robins.  Finally, the crocuses and daffodils not only allude to warmer weather but provide color that lifts the spirit.  As much happiness as the expectation of spring brings with it, there is no lasting joy or peace as I know that winter will in fact come again.  In contrast, my spiritual hope is a different matter altogether as my hope in God brings with it joy and peace.

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Focus

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Focusing in God's will

To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; to give prudence to the naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion, a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 1:2-7

Well the New Year has begun and as I discussed in the last post of December (“Joy Mixed with Sorrow”), the year is already shaping up with a mix of ups and downs.  God has blessed me with new opportunities to serve Him, traveling mercies, daily provisions that meet spiritual and physical needs as well as celebrations with family.  However, we have already had some stressful situations as well as being concerned with significant challenges facing family and friends.  One concern is that we must decide what to do with our dog who has outbursts that prevent us from trusting her to be good-natured (if interested, see “Animal Instincts and Obedience School”) and present concerns for liability.  I really love this dog, but she snarls and snaps for no apparent reason.  Further, in the back of my mind is an upcoming visit to a new doctor.  There is the hope that after 28 years of significant illness there might be an answer which helps manage my health issues more effectively.  However, past history suggests that it is likely another vain attempt.   The mantra that I apply to difficult situations and uncertainties is “God remains on His throne and is in control”.  I don’t say that lightly as it reminds me of both where hope lies and that my experiences have ramifications beyond my finite ability to understand.  As helpful as that is, I also need to work on how I react to the ups and downs of life.  So as I progress through the year, my goal is to focus on four things: a soft heart, discernment, joy and gratitude.

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Joy Mixed With Sorrow

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Picture of ornaments and cones

“They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.’ And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.  Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.”  Ezra 3:11-13

New Year’s Eve is the time when we tend to evaluate the past year and look to the new one with a hope of great things to come.  Our best New Year’s Eve was December 31, 1981.  That night our younger daughter was born and there was literally a party atmosphere in the delivery room.  In addition to my wife and me, there were two doctors, three interns, a couple of nurses and an anesthesiologist.  Rather than waiting for a ball to drop in New York City, we were awaiting the arrival of a child.  While it was mostly a joyful event, there was also pain as my wife would have to recover from the surgery.  While we like to label each year as good or bad, the reality of this life is that most years are a mixture of joy and sorrow.  That was the mood as the exiles from Babylon viewed the foundation of the new temple.  Those that remembered the former glory of Jerusalem wept at over the loss of what once was.  However, there was also the joy of Jerusalem being rebuilt.  It’s a good lesson in life…how to gracefully accept the joys and sorrows of life understanding that God has orchestrated our lives with purpose so that in the end we may be blessed with a joyful eternity. 

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The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity–hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory–because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.

J.I. Packer
www.christianquotes
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The Worship

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Worship our King

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”   Isaiah 9:6-7

In a few days, much of the world will celebrate Christmas.  For many this holiday has no meaning as they are either unaware of or opposed to faith in Christ.  For others who are vaguely aware of Christ’s incarnation, it is a time to focus on fellowship and gifts, but has no soul altering significance.  However, for those of us who have encountered God, accepted His invitation, and understand the background of Christ’s incarnation, there is depth to the celebration that comes from understanding.  We know and have experienced the love, joy, peace and hope that demands jubilation and worship.  As we move from Advent to Christmas day, we transition from introspection and meditation to worship. Hopefully it is joyful unbridled worship of our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace for who He is and what He has accomplished for us.

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Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.

Corrie ten Boom
www.christianquotes

The best we can hope for in this life is a knothole peek at the shining realities ahead. Yet a glimpse is enough. It’s enough to convince our hearts that whatever sufferings and sorrows currently assail us aren’t worthy of comparison to that which waits over the horizon.

Joni Eareckson Tada
Crosswalk.com
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Images of Hope

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Without Christ there is no hope

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23

For several years after I became seriously ill, I didn’t plan any events in my life.  I had no confidence that I would be around for the long haul, therefore, planning was out of the question.  The problem was a lack of hope.  While I still had the hope of eternity, I had no hope that God would sustain my body or that I could endure.  Eventually, that lack of hope made my soul sick.  Thankfully, God sustained me and slowly began to educate me on the finer points of living well before Him.  One of those lessons was that there seem to be two kinds of hope: jubilant hope and steadfast hope.  While I had witnessed plenty of examples of jubilant hope e.g. the hope that comes with: salvation, marriage, or a healthy newborn child, and the like, I had no living images of steadfast hope to lean on.  The culture in which I was raised didn’t deal kindly with people who openly discussed their problems and therefore, was devoid of discussions regarding God’s use of trials to mold, shape and equip them.  In that light, let’s consider a few images of steadfast hope, specifically hope that is: teachable, observant, patient, resilient, faithful trusting that God is enough.

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