True Joy: With Pain?

There is so much more to life than we realize. How often are we just going through the motions? There is so much that we are not taking advantage of. And so much more that we can BE. This is not works to please God or obligations to fulfill in order to assure our worth or status in anyone's sight. But it is a more full realization of all that we can be in Christ. We can be living examples of his grace. We can show and share Christ's love. We can be immersed in his joy and peace that turn the bitter pills of life into true gladness. I believe that it is the ultimate joy to be not just happy because nothing is wrong, but be glad because something WAS wrong but now is whole. Pain is still here, but so is our Savior.

It is my experience that people who must go through hardship in their lives are often more joyful than those for whom everything seems to go well. They have learned, by the grace of God, to trust him more fully because they have nowhere else to go. Being in complete reliance on God enables us to have joy because we are no longer trying to be good enough or find joy within ourselves. Those who need God more, who see their sin, their pain, their hurt, have a joy that goes deeper. They are connected with the bigger picture

of eternity and salvation.

Life is so big and so special, but this time (before heaven) is short. It means so much because it is a part of eternity. Eternity doesn't begin when we get to heaven, it begins now! How can we live like we understand this?

photo by Anna Lofgren