This joy

I have joy joy joy joy down in my heart.

Joy to the world.

This joy I have.

Letting that one set in. Take a look around to see every good and perfect thing that comes from above. See the wildflowers that grow in the most difficult places. To observe a sunrise and sunset as the glow of the sun sends beautiful colors throughout the sky. A mother deer and baby walking side by side in the early morning dew. Having a butterfly gently land on your shoulder. There’s so much to put a smile upon our face.

Nehemiah 8; 10 ….for the joy of the Lord is your strength

The word joy appears 240 times in the Bible. Joy is described as having great pleasure and happiness.

Now, I wish I can tell you that everything is bright, sunny, happy and comes easy, it will only set you up for a fall. Because if everything you achieve comes easy, where’s the joy in appreciating your journey? Through our weakness, God is strong and to bear witness of how He brings us through to the other side does bring you joy. The mess and chaos knock us around, so to hear there’s joy at the end can be impossible to believe. Just hold on! The enemy wants us to believe that quitting is the best option. That the feeling of having joy is falsehood. The belief of achieving your goal is far-fetched. Stop that stinking-thinking!

My mother used to sing a song at church, “This joy that I have” and when I came across the video of her singing, tears flowed like Niagra Falls. The other part of the verse state, ‘the world didn’t give it to me and the world can’t take it away’. So, if you see me smiling it’s because there’s joy in my heart and I went through some things for God to bless me with peace beyond my understanding. I didn’t say it’s all done; He just made me a little bit stronger for the next.

This joy I have.

Be Kept!