JOY on the Journey
Many years ago, I discovered something that changed me. It changed how I looked at my life, how I looked at each circumstance in it and ultimately my relationship with God. It was the difference between what being happy meant in a worldly sense and what happiness meant in a Godly sense (fullness of joy). Up until this discovery many circumstances influenced my day to day emotions and attitude toward life. I understood what it was to be happy, but somehow, I had missed out on the gift of joy. It was as if God had wrapped a gift, placed it within my reach but I had neglected to pick it up and see the miraculous wonder that had been mine all along.
That is the basis for this blog, “Joy on the Journey.” It is about how the joy God offers to us in and through the circumstances of life transforms how we live. There is a children’s song called “I’ve Got the Joy,” written by George Willis Cooke, that sums it up:
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart
Where?
Down in my heart!
Where?
Down in my heart!
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart
Down in my heart to stay
And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart
Down in my heart
And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.
The deaths of a son, brother, my parents, relatives and several close friends, while moving several times leaving dear friends behind, took their toll in many ways on my life. As I struggled daily, God showed me that his desire for me (and for each person) was to fully lean on him and to allow him to fill me with HIS joy until I could do nothing else but praise him in whatever situation I found myself. Once I began to fully trust God, as the scriptures say, my “mourning turned into dancing.” I discovered a peace through my sadness or disappointment or whatever it was that was influencing my thoughts and emotions. That peace brought me closer to the only One who could help me find true inner joy.
For the first time I understood, if only partially, what Jesus meant when he said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I discovered His great, immeasurable love and forgiving grace like I never had before. I finally experienced the gift God had for me all along. God’s gift of true inner joy was unwrapped more and more as I intertwined the moments of my life with my relationship to God.
My journey into God’s goodness and the inner joy he brings continues. I invite you to join me on this journey, to be a part of discovering God’s great joy in all of life. My prayer is that together, knowing God is with us, we will both be a blessing and be blessed.
With God’s joy on the journey of life,
Janet