JOY

"So the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away." - Isaiah 51:11

...mmm so good...

 I decided to spontaneously  write today... not knowing what but knowing I have stuff that needs to come out of me. So naturally not knowing what I was going to talk about I decided to play the "what are You saying God?' game... we all have done it... you know the one where you close your eyes open your Bible to a random page and then point.  So I read what was under my finger in hopes I would find a bit a wisdom and encouragement...

I find myself asking the question what is true joy?...

the opposite of sorrow... a treasure... a fruit of the Spirit... a character trait... a gift... a choice. 

I'll be honest sometimes I feel like joy is something I try to have instead of something I'm reaping. But then I'm reminded that we were the joy set before Jesus as He hung on the cross... How can this be? As He was paying for us who were the RANSOMED because of our sin... we were still His joy. 

So I guess what Im saying is... wherever you are... if you don't exactly feel the joy... know that if you don't know pain you will never fully understand how great the true joy is. We all walk through seasons of pain, heartbreak, and loss. Jesus did... but joy was His strength, so no matter what let joy be yours even if it seems far away. Believe that it is God making a way in you to go deeper to experience Him in greater measure.