Friday, February 5, 2010

can you rejoice today?

Philippians 4:4 "Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy." The question here is am I full of joy today? I find no where in this verse or elsewhere where God is telling me to just be joyful when things are going my way, and when things are great. He wants me to be joyful in all circumstances! In the moments of madness, in sadness, in struggles, in the darkest moments of life I am to be joyful.
How can I do that when my husband is out of work, when things are out of place, and I have no idea what tomorrow will hold? Well, even if things were great, I still would not know what tomorrow would hold, only God knows that. Through my eyes what looks out of place, or what is a struggle, God can find perfection there in His plan for my life. Even when things are hard, and let me be honest and say they are really hard right now, He shows Himself to me daily. He is in our struggles, and trials with us.
This morning I woke pain free, I am watching the beautiful snow fall, I have chatted with my girls almost daily this week, and I received a beautiful call from a friend today that blessed me beyond words. In the midst of the hardest times I can still spend time with my God. I can still feel His hand upon mine.
When your husband has not worked for over a year you find the things you can live without. The very things you thought you needed daily, you soon realize you can have life without them.
When loss happens, you see giving. The things you thought were once forgotten are now remembered. In the smallest of things we can find joy. In the midst of my day, I can turn on the local Christian station and worship the God who is in control of all around me. I can see Him in my children, in the love of my husband and the sweet words of my friends. In the midst of all our struggles, the Lord brought in my life my cousin in which I thought I would never see again. I thought our childhood memories were just that, memories to keep in my heart. But since we have found one another we have such a sweet relationship that I cannot wait to see where God takes.
When things look bleak to us we must remember God is at work in our lives through everything. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes with our situations, but joy is in our hearts through all. When we begin our day waiting to see what God is up to and with great expectations our life attitude will change.
When we stop waiting for something to happen in our lives, and go out there knowing something great is coming our way how can we not be filled with joy? When times are hard, look up. When we look up to God we will find something more valuable than anything here on this earth. When we keep looking down, we concentrate on our steps not God's. Let God place a new song in your life today, beginning with a new attitude, one that fills your heart with joy!
We can rejoice in the hardest of times just as we can in the best of times just knowing God is there with us. We can rejoice in knowing nothing touches us without first touching Him. I can find comfort in knowing He knows the plan for my life, He knows what is up ahead, and if I trust in Him, I can rejoice in believing everything happens in my life for a purpose to bring glory to the God who sees me through each day.
Lord, thank You for being with me each day, making each day new, and filling me with Your love. Even when the tears are falling, I can rejoice knowing You are there to wipe them away with the touch of Your hand.

AddToAny

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...