Joy Isn’t Always a Bowl of Cherries

I remember when my sister got a call that her husband’s sister had passed away; it was around Thanksgiving. Not that there is ever a good time to lose a loved one at an early age, but to lose one around the holidays just seems to accentuate the hurt. These are the times I’ve come to realize how vital it is to have a relationship with Jesus and to have a strong family of believers to lift me up, comfort me, and stand in the gap. These are the times that also test our faith and the measure of our joy.

You may ask, “how can I possibly be joyful at a time like this?” I think people misunderstand the word joy. Rachelle, a local DJ, said it best when she said “joy is not unicorns and rainbows.” As believers, we are not promised joy, we must CHOOSE joy. It is not a right given to us and it can’t be achieved by circumstance. Real joy isn’t the elation you feel on a good day or when something wonderful happens to you; real joy is a deep feeling of peace, knowing that even in our darkest hour, God is present and He is able to handle our anger, our confusion, even our profound sadness. James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” To someone who doesn’t believe, this might seem ludicrous. How can you possibly feel joy when you’ve just lost a loved one?

Sometimes God’s directives towards us are hard, like being joyful during trials or thankful in ALL things. Having joy doesn’t mean we walk around all the time with a smile on our face. Joy is simply knowing that there is ALWAYS hope, that God will strengthen us and sustain us in the good times and especially in the bad. Joy is knowing that God is preparing a place for us so that one day we’ll see our loved ones again.