TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT
Do you ever have to force your joy? I do.Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4
Last Friday, for instance. I touched OVERWHELMED, brooding over
sad things and
hard things and
things I could do nothing about.
I only spied one escape:
Rejoice.
So I moved to my faithful piano, opened up a fluid Peace medley (HT: SW), and worshiped.
I prayed, I sang, I read scripture.
I rejoiced.
I unwrapped joy.
Joy is a noun; rejoice is a verb.
But it doesn’t always stretch out so smoothly for me. Some days I can’t draft the energy to even birth the motions, like yesterday morning.
What then?
I remember.
Joy isn’t about how I feel.
It’s about Who I know.
And to gather in joy when joy is elusive, I remember Who I love.
And Who loves me.
Young Mary remembered.
When John the Baptist leaped for joy even in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:44), Mary rejoiced (Luke 1:47). She remembered God showing strength; God scattering the proud; God exalting the humble; God filling the hungry; God speaking to His people.
I have memories, too.
I remember God has drenched me in blessings; God has never left me stranded in past tight places; and God promises to rescue me in all times future.
I remember Who I believe in.
And in Him, I rejoice.
May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
Psalm 70:4
God is great!
* * *
Do you ever lose your joy? How do you find it again?
Read more on rejoice at the One Word at a Time blog carnival.
10 comments:
Wonderful post. A good reminder for all of us "melancholy" personality types! ;-)
Excellent post! My art teacher used to say "inspiration comes when working"....the same way we could say "joy comes when rejoicing". God is indeed great! Advent blessings!
Excellent meditation, Lisa. I read somewhere not long ago that the "sacrifice of praise" spoken of in Hebrews may mean praising when we don't feel like it or when the circumstances don't lend themselves to praise. Sometimes we have to obey before the "feeling comes" -- or even if it doesn't come.
Thanks Lisa,
Your post made me think of how joy is sometimes like The Blues. In sadness, in the hard places, when we sing out those sad lonely notes, joy rushes in and takes their place.
Thanks again.
It seems our thoughts went similar directions. He is our joy and our strength.
always a good reminder
There is so much power in remembering. It's works for the negative, but so much more in the positive--recounting God's faithfulness and victories. Great post, Lisa. Thanks!
"joy comes when rejoicing" - great comment right? Sometimes we gotta "preach ourselves happy" instead of waiting on the "man of God" to come to town with a "now" word. Jesus IS our "now" Word! Oh, yes I find I lose my joy more than my car keys. My remedy for not losing my keys? Habit. Putting them in the same place EVERY time "religiously". So, perhaps I should apply your point to my example and make a habit of "loosing" my joy rather than losing it. :) EXCELLENT post! XOXOXO
Beautifully written, my sweet friend. I was thinking of you and praying for you this afternoon. I was in the living room rearranging things to put out some Christmas decorations. I started to pack away the plate we share. As soon as I moved it, I thought, "I think I just need to leave that out "....and I did. But it also brought to heart some special needs you may be having around this time. Praying for you...
love and hugs,
Dianna
I just love the quote "Joy is a noun, rejoice is a verb." What a great post. Thanks for visiting Daily Grace and your comments on the blog about joy. Don't you think this world needs more joy? God bless, Bobbi
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