Finding Joy

As you all read in my last blog, these last few months have been very challenging. Although there has been a lot of pain, there has also been many times where God continues to amaze me. 

When trials, pain and suffering come into your life, it is very easy to just focus on yourself and how you are feeling. It’s hard to think of others during these times of our life. I can speak from experience. It’s easy to get down on yourself, and on everything that is going on around you. During this time, I have really had to put an effort into finding the joy in my day. No matter what kind of situation you are in. God is there and He will reveal himself to you. 

I can think of multiple times that God has been revealing himself to me. During this last month, my friend who is not a believer, has begun to ask questions. This is awesome, and very exciting as I have been friends with them for many years. That day, in that situation I found joy. However, as I went along in my day, I began to focus on my cousins’ passing, and forgetting what God had just done. Looking back, I can see God and I also saw Him in that moment. However, I did not carry that realization through my day. This is something that we need to recognize when we are grieving or going through hard times. God is ALWAYS working, are we choosing to recognize it? 

Another way that God has been working in my life is through my education. I have been accepted to go to Costa Rica for 5 weeks at the end of April to teach. Getting to the point of being accepted was a long stressful process. However, throughout the process, I had peace. I knew that God was in control, and that if I was not meant to go to Costa Rica, I would not get accepted. I am very excited to be accepted and am excited to see how God is going to work in Costa Rica. I have to teach in Spanish... so I know God will most defiantly be helping me through that. 

As we go through hard times we need to choose to find joy in our days. Is this easy? No. It means taking the emphasis off of the pain that you (I) have been feeling. It is not erasing the pain, but it allowing you to look at your life through a different lens. This is something I have to remind myself of daily.

“The Joy of the Lord is our Strength.”- Nehemiah 8:10... This verse has never been so real to me as it is today. Without recognizing the joy that God has placed in our lives everyday, I am weak. I am lonely. I am sad. With recognizing the joy God has placed in our lives, I am stronger. I am secure. I am accepted. When you change your mindset, your day will be changed. 

Michelle