Finding Joy in Tough TImes

“Rejoice in the Lord alway and again I say, Rejoice.” Phil. 4:4

Life isn’t always a basket of roses and flowers. In fact, nobody is exempt from experiencing pitfalls and challenges. However, having a relationship with God the Father sure does make it easier to cope and endure them. The beauty found in such tough times is being able to discover the fruit of joy and allow all that it has to aid us in our ability of overcoming! In II Kings 4: 22-23, we read about a woman who experienced the loss of her child.  “Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, [e]“It is well.”

Consider the woman’s response to her son’s death. What made her come to a resolve of being “well” with such a loss? Having Joy means that we can look beyond our circumstances and see that God is mighty in his ways and is never taken by surprise with any tough time we encounter. When you refuse to succumb to the stings of tough times, there is a settling that arises from within you that God is in control of every detail of your life and that everything is going to be alright. Instead of grief, she chose to seek after the Father, yielding her not only joy and comfort, but a reviving of her son. Decide today to put every tough time in the hands of God and hold on to the truth that everything is going to be alright!

~Amichia