Day 80
Principle: God gives us each the life He knows we need.
Can you ever imagine finding pleasure in your pain?
Paul the Apostle did. He endorsed this seemingly irrational line of thinking when he wrote, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation [Greek—pressure, affliction, anguish, burdens, persecution, trouble].” (2Corinthians 7:4) Is it possible to be grieved and joyful simultaneously? Absolutely! You might be brokenhearted someone has died, yet joyful he or she is in Heaven. You might be saddened your job is ending, but joyfully confident God has something better.
Faith is the miraculous ingredient that activates true joy in each of our lives. Whereas happiness sometimes waits to see what is going to happen, joy blissfully opens its arms to every moment, choosing in advance to see life from God’s point of view.
The Bible gives us the perfect response to the calamities of life: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5b) Yet it is possible for us to resist the joy that God desires to bring to us. Joy only comes in the morning, if we choose to let joy come in the morning. We can opt to let fear or worry come in the morning, or perhaps even depression and suicide. If we so desire, we can invite discouragement for breakfast, take hopelessness out to lunch, and join despair for a candlelight dinner. It’s our call. I have spent enough time with each of these pathetic emotions, now I limit my life experiences to seeing joy in my circumstances. (1Peter 1:8) It is my choice how I choose to see the life God has given me.
Joy has to be invited into our lives and, once invited, must not be taken for granted. Just as Jesus focused on, “…the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2b) we must concentrate on the joy set before each of us as we endure the hardships in life. Jesus took pleasure in His pain, and embraced the purpose behind His suffering. May God open our eyes to see that glorious purpose in our life as well.
When we spend our lives dwelling on yesterday, we shouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow never comes. Instead of embracing what is happening in our lives, many of us feel empty about what is not happening. There’s a better option: the next time you are going through hell, don’t stop. We have a fanciful expectation of what we think we need, and when it doesn’t take place we are disappointed. As God gives each of us the life He knows we need, we must therefore learn to embrace life as it is, not as we wish it were.
At the end of the day, this is really the only good option we have. Embrace it.
- How do you invite the joy of the Lord into every situation?
- In what ways are you able to experience pleasure in your pain and embrace God’s purpose in your suffering?
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