Tag: happiness

Finding Joy in Unhappy Circumstances

2 Timothy 2:3
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

There is no happiness in suffering. No sane person chooses to suffer. But even when we are under the heaviest of burdens, it is possible to maintain the joy in our lives. For to suffer for Christ’s sake is to have joy in all things. To embrace Our Comforter during the times of our suffering is to have constant joy in the midst of our trials. If we continuously seek the comfort of Our Savior as our suffering goes on, our joy will increase even though our happiness may be in decline. Through it all, our resolution to suffer for Christ’s sake will become stronger and our love of God and Jesus Christ will grow.

If we view our suffering in any other way than through the will of God, our lives are guaranteed to be roller coaster rides with many highs and many lows. On the other hand, if we keep our focus on Jesus through our suffering, our lives will be on steadied paths toward completed sainthood in heaven for all eternity. Our lives will be filled with joy even in unhappy circumstances. The world will know us by our peace through Jesus Christ.

Let us seek the joy of Christ in every event in our lives, whether they be easy or challenging. Let us seek the peace of Our Comforter in all of our trials. Let us endure in accordance with the promises of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to overcome the suffering that the world brings us. We bless the name of Jesus for bringing us joy even when everything around us in the world brings some level of unhappiness. We pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit will strengthen us to endure our trials so that our love for You and for Our Savior, Jesus, becomes greater with each moment that we endure our suffering. As we find joy in Christ, we pray that our example will make others strong and mature in their relationship with You. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered for us, Jesus Christ.

Recognizing the Source of Our Joy on Thanksgiving

Nehemiah 8:10
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Each year since the Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving celebration feast in the early 1600’s, a day has been set aside in this country to take the time to come together to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with as a nation and as individuals. For followers of Jesus, it has been easy to give thanks and sincerely praise the Lord. As His disciples, we truly have been blessed. But more importantly, we have recognized/learned where our real blessings come from. We have continued to recognize our blessings and the source of our blessings as we went through pain, trouble, conflict and trials during different junctures in our lives. We may not have always been particularly happy about our circumstances, but we learned along the way that we could always find our joy and our strength in Jesus Christ.

On a national basis, the story is much different. As our nation has become more and more secular, a large portion of the population has spent their lives seeking happiness without any understanding of the true joy of living for Christ. Non-believers have bought into the idea that they can control their own happiness. It can be devastating to them when they realize that happiness is not something that they can create. It can be crushing to them when they realize that their circumstances are not something that they have control over. They have no place to turn when they hit their inevitable periods of pain, trouble, conflict and trials.

Let us take our thanks beyond the Thanksgiving table. Let us take time each day to give thanks for the source of our joy, Jesus Christ. Let us delight in Him. Let us praise Him for what He has done for us, how He is still working in us and what He promises us for all eternity. Let us show the world the powerful joy that is the source of our strength. Let us show the world how His joy transforms us and motivates us to serve Him. Let our joyful lives become a most appealing witness for a lost and hurting world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many blessings that You have poured onto our lives through Your grace, Your mercy and Your lovingkindness. We thank You for the trials that You have allowed in our lives which have deepened our trust in You. We bless the name of Jesus who provided the way for our eternal blessings. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to take the joy that we have in Christ to share with those around us so that Your joy and gladness can be theirs for today and forever. We ask all these things in the name of the Joy of the World, Jesus Christ.