Joy in All Circumstances
February 17th, 2010 | 
Author: “Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation, brought joy to my soul.”
Psalm 94:17-19 (NIV)
Recently I went with some others from my Sunday School class to take food to a homeless shelter and participate in a Bible Study. There was a snowstorm outside. We made dinner, took it to the shelter, served everyone there as well as some people on the street, and then sat down with everyone who wanted to join in a Bible Study led by one of our group. No one was forced to participate.
The people staying at the shelter have had some very difficult lives. They have dealt with unstable families and substance abuse, loss of material possessions and loss of loved ones. They have dealt with plenty of troubles which could have led them to become bitter.
And yet, these were some of the sweetest people I have ever met! They were grateful that we brought food, they were welcoming, they were gracious. Some of them were believers in Christ, and during the Bible study when they shared what God had been putting on their hearts, I was so impressed by their faith and trust in God! They knew His hope and trusted Him for their futures. They had joy in their circumstances.
I was humbled when we left that night. Certainly, we all have hardships. But to be honest, I have been blessed by God BIG-time, and I know it! So why do I sometimes let myself get bogged down in a pity-party because I have a bad day or because my husband is gone for a few months? Is my God not still with me? Yes. Is He still blessing me? Yes. Do I have hope and joy through Christ, guaranteed for eternity? Yes! Okay…so why do I sometimes indulge in my pity-parties? Because I’m selfish, and sometimes I just lose sight of the big picture.
My husband is actually really great at keeping a big picture perspective. When I’m with him, I can always count on him to bring my focus back to the big picture, a more “eternal” point of view. With him gone, I am learning to look to God for this perspective. I am grateful that He has made clear to me yet another strength and admirable quality in my mate, while at the same time showing me that HE is the one that truly provides this perspective, this wisdom. Recognizing what God has done in my life goes a long way towards helping to rekindle the joy James 1 tells me I should be aware of in difficult circumstances, because this joy is from God – regardless of my circumstances! So the next time I feel down because I am missing my husband, I am simply going to focus on God and count my blessings! And remember those joy-filled homeless people praising God in the snowstorm.
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Nikki is married to an amazing man in the Navy. She works in international affairs and adores warm weather.
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I love this post. Thank you!