With a Joyful Heart

As I sit and reflect on the goodness of God, I must admit that it makes me sad to see so many friends and family members that do not appear joyful. JOY is so different than happiness. Happiness is based on your circumstances, in other words, what is happening in your life. While joy is based and rooted in Jesus and the goodness of God the Father. I will admit that I have felt sadness during this Christmas season. My dad passed away January 29th of this year, and my mom also went on to be with our Lord on July 4th. Knowing that neither of them would be here for the Christmas season was sad for me and my family. But that is NOT where I choose to stay! I have determined that nothing can or will separate me from God’s love and goodness (Romans 8:38). If you are struggling with grief, loneliness, heartbreak, or despair, give it to God and ask Him to heal your heart. He will take it and replace it with joy. Realign your focus! Here are a few scriptures that I have found helpful during tough times.

1. Isaiah 26:3 ” You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in You. (NKJ)
2. James 1:18 “He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” (NLT)
3. Colossians 1:22 “Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. (NLT)
4. Ephesians 2:8-10 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a GIFT from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good thing he planned for us long ago.” (NLT)
5. Psalm 23-“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (KJV)
6. As youth pastors, my husband and I have encouraged our teens to dig into God’s Word and hide it deep in their hearts. When storms and trials come along, it is the only true north! Many times, God has reminded me of scriptures that I learned as a child or teen. These scriptures not only brought me comfort, but they also reminded me that the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to guide us into truth and help us make decisions based on God’s Word; and not just our emotions or what feels good at the time.
7. On this Christmas Day 2023, I want to leave you with the bundle of JOY that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger found in Luke 2: 1-20; Matthew 1:18-25; and Matthew 2. “At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great JOY to all people. The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven-praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’ (Luke 2:1-14 NLT)