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Written by Abigail G. Baumgartner, intern for Iron Rose Sister Ministries
Middle school is not often remembered fondly. We see old pictures, then laugh and cringe as we remember the awkwardness of every phase. I certainly have memories like that, but I treasure them as memories of how I've grown. One such memory comes from my eighth-grade year. I had already given my life to Christ at that point, but I was facing some hard things, and I was lonely. Until, one day, I awoke with indescribable joy! This joy came from a feeling that God was walking through life with me. God felt closer than ever before, and this joy was the deepest emotion I had ever experienced. At age 14, I was sure I had reached the pinnacle of Christian maturity; I would feel this joy for the rest of my life.
But, over time, the feeling of God's daily presence faded, and my joy faded, too. I was still pursuing God, but suddenly I did not feel that same rush of joy. I thought I had angered God somehow and that He withdrew from me because He no longer loved me. I felt frustrated, fearful, and discouraged.
What had I done that God would leave me?
I battled that question for years. Thankfully, the adults in my life encouraged me to continue pursuing God by reading His Word, praying, and seeking Him with all my heart. Eventually, God showed me that He never left me alone; He was just calling me to a greater joy, and I had to let go of my old ways to make room for the new.
The joy I discovered in eighth grade was rooted in feeling God's presence emotionally. If I felt Him with me, I was joyful, but if I did not feel Him there, I was not. That joy was based on my feelings. But my feelings often change based on what I have for dinner. I am inconsistent.
God, on the other hand, "… is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8, NIV). I know He never left me because, in Matthew 28:20, He says He is "...with [me] always" (NIV). In fact, as a Christian, nothing can separate me from His love (Rom. 8:38-39, NIV).
Through His Word, God redefined joy for me. I now understand that True Joy is rooted in God and His promises, not in a feeling. Joy in the Lord is my response to who He is and all He has done for me.
Feelings of joy are beautiful blessings from God, but I can still be Joyful with or without those emotions. In my Christian walk today, my Joy is securely rooted in who God is rather than how I feel (Phil. 4, NIV).
Just like remembering middle school, when I reflect on my spiritual journey, I am amazed by how much I've grown. When I reach points in the journey where I am content to stop and enjoy the view, God still calls me to something more and draws me closer to Himself. I cannot think of a better reason to rejoice!
How has God redefined Joy for you? How have you grown as a result of pursuing Him?
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Written by Sabrina Nino de Campos, Portuguese Team Leader for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Gainsville, Texas
I remember that while I was continuing through my annual Bible reading, during one of the hardest times in my life, I ended up reading the Psalms. And I remember that on one of those nights, when I felt so weak and ready to give up, I read a verse that said:
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life. (Psalm 42:8, NIV)
The Psalms are so powerful and full of authentic human feelings. Not all of them are happy, sometimes they are feelings of pain, sometimes anger, sometimes indignation against God Himself and even sorrow stemming from feeling that Yahweh has forgotten about them.
Are negative feelings a bad thing? Do those feelings prevent us from feeling joyful? Feeling joyful does not depend on whether the situations in life are perfect.
The word Shalom comes from the Hebrew for wellbeing. The Hebrew people asked, “How is your Shalom?” And that involved a lot of aspects of life. How are your sheep? How is your crop? How is your family? The idea of Shalom meant harmony, wholeness, peace, flourishing. When all areas of life were perfectly in spring.
A lot of times in life, we don’t feel like everything is in perfect harmony. We go through pain that makes us want to give up and takes our strength away—just like a lot of Psalmists, and even Jesus Himself, felt at times. But what redefines our joy and restores our Shalom is Yahweh.
We won’t be happy all the time, but we will always be joyful in Him. Like the Psalmists and Jesus, we don’t have to hide our pain or sadness, but we can put everything we feel in His hands and rest under His wings. Our Shalom, our peace, comes from Him, who makes us complete. Not because everything is perfect and peaceful, but because He is perfect, and He is our peace. He becomes our Shalom, the only way to be complete and joyful.
If we redefine our prayer and redefine our priorities, our joy will also be redefined!
If we make it our prayer that by day the Lord directs His love to us and by night His song is with us, we can receive Shalom and Joy that exceed our understanding.
What attitudes or actions in your life need to be redefined so that your Joy can depend on the Lord and not on you?