Finding Joy in the Pain

When we face trials, when our world caves in on us, it seems impossible that we would be able to deal with the pain and suffering that accompanies these trials. It is not easy for some. We may turn to drink, depression, overeating, over shopping, anything to alleviate the hurt. Yet and still it remains. Whoever said the time heals all wounds obviously must have suffered from a superficial cut—nothing deep that leaves a scar.

Death seems a final wound, one that will not heal because our loved one is no longer with us. I’ve suffered through the death of cousins (who died too young), aunts, uncles, my oldest sister, and recently, my nephew and my mother. Each of these has left a void in my heart, a hurt, that though is not physically manifested, rises to the surface of my consciousness when I least expect it and reopens the wound once again. Maybe not as deep as when they were inflicted, but hurtful nonetheless.

Enid M. Hall - 12/31/1922 - 8/31/2018

Yet, through it all I find myself remembering the good times, the lasting happy moments that death cannot erase and I am lifted out of my sorrow to rejoice and give thanks to God for those happy times. And it is in my rejoicing that I find peace—peace in knowing that my loved ones are safe in the loving arms of Jesus and that I will see them again. I find joy in knowing that death’s sting was not hurtful enough to drag me into despair because Jesus took the bite out of the sting when He paid the price on the cross. I have love—the love of my family and friends who are just a call, just a prayer away, waiting to lend me a shoulder to cry on when I face these sad moments; the love of God, who promised to be there for me in my time of need, the love of Christ, whose blood washes over me in my sorrow, keeping me safe and secure.

Through periods of suffering, James 5:13 reminds us to pray and if possible to sing praises. This is no easy feat for some, but for those who are in Christ, praising and worshipping Him is a salve to our wounds because it takes the focus off our problems and places us in the Holy presence of God, where our troubles can’t touch us, where we honor and pour out our love to Him to the extent of forgetting our pain. It is in that moment healing washes over us.

Yes, there is healing for our pain. It is found when we surrender to the joy of praising and worshiping God, this giving ourselves over to Him for the healing of our souls.

Read James 5:13-18

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

What is happiness? It is defined as a “state of being”; a state of being happy, joyful, content, satisfied. Happiness is what we make for ourselves.

People believe that happiness is found in things such as money, food, clothing, and so forth. The reality is completely different. These things cannot make one happy, happiness can only be brought about by one’s ability to create it for oneself. Happiness is a choice! One must choose to be happy despite going through heartache, pain, sickness, and the list goes on. We have been given that power from Jesus Christ. It is, after all, a state of being! 

When we worry and fret over situations that happen in life, we give power to that situation, which robs us of the ability to be happy: it saps our energy and robs us of peace of mind, tranquility, and joy. We must learn to discern what it takes to make one happy and go about embracing that truth to such an extent that nothing will ever make us unhappy regardless of how painful it is. Proverbs 3:13 says it best, “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;”

When we give our lives over to God and learn to leave our problems at His feet and spend our time in His will and being in His presence—living and being instead of doing—only then will we find happiness. See what it says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.” Walking in God’s way and keeping His laws will help us learn to always “be happy”.

“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. —Philippians4:11-13 MSG

Light Always Follows Darkness

As I was reading my devotional from the 2016 Upper Room Disciplines today, I was reminded of the true message of the scripture found in Psalm 30:5, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning". This made me realize that no matter how dark or painful the situation I (or you) may be facing, the dawn always follows the darkness of night.

The author of today's devotional states it so well, "Just as the sun slices through the darkness and offers the hope of the new day, the scripture announces God’s new thing. Circumstances will change; situations will grow better. The road from the darkness of pain to the brightness of joy may be longer than we desire. The important matter at hand is that we see the road and take the journey." It is hard for us to see the road ahead when we are in the midst of darkness. We seem to think that the darkness of our pain will continue to envelop us and we will never see the light of day, never see an end to our sorrow. My question to you is this, did you look back at a time in your life when it seemed that you would never recover from heartbreak, the death of a loved one, or maybe even a painful divorce? Did you look back and see where you are today as opposed to where you were in that moment? Have you noticed any change?

I'm not making light of the pain in any one's life. I just want to shed light on the fact that though it may seem never ending, there is always an end. You made it! You called out to God (even if you did it unconsciously) and he delivered you, he brought you through.

We do not have the power to heal our soul's wounds; we don't have the strength to lift ourselves out of the pit we sometimes dig for ourselves, but God does. He knows what you are going through, he knows what you are facing. All he wants is for you to call on him, to trust him to walk you through the journey you are facing and bring you into the light of dawn.

Yes, weeping may endure for a night, but, the joy that follows it is radiant and is a testament to your trust in God to see you through the pain into the light of a new radiant day. The devotional ends with these words, "As hard as it may be, we must carry our faith as a cherished seedling. We water it with our tears, fertilize it with our pain, and let the love of God shine on us as as we make the journey toward the dance of joy."

The cards below are a few in a stack that I made about a month ago. I did not realize until I was showing some of my cards, how the majority of them had the same theme - butterflies. How fitting for today's post, don't you think? The butterfly becomes a thing of beauty only after its metamorphosis from a caterpillar and shedding its chrysalis. The chrysalis is the dark, resting place of the caterpillar, but it sheds that darkness to become a beautiful, colorful, flying insect.  We can (and will) become as beautiful as this when we learn to leave our darkness in the hands of our Master and allow him to guide us into the light and beauty of the life he's always known we would live.

Finding Joy

As I read today's entry in one of my devotionals, God Calling: by Two Listeners, I was led to write the following in my journal: "Finding joy in doing my will means listening obediently for your call to step out on faith. It means reaching out to those in need even if you don't know how you're called to help them; it means speaking truth even if that truth hurts; it means hugging and loving the unlovable. Finding joy in your life can only happen when you find joy in me".

God does not call us to find joy in our own self-serving efforts, but in reaching out to others and building a relationship based on the love that he is calling us to offer the world (even those who hurt and persecute us). Remember John 3:16? Yes, that is the kind of love the God of love is calling us to give: sacrificial, limitless, brimming over -- love for the unlovable, the marginalized, the broken, the sick... the list goes on.

How do we carry out His will to love as he loved? By finding joy in doing all he has called us to do for all, even those we think are not worthy of love. How can this be achieved? When we spend time in His presence loving and listening; allowing him to cleanse us from the inside out, showing us who we are in him, and healing from our past sins, from the chains that have kept us bound and chained to our past and the lie the enemy wants us to keep believing. Once we own up and accept our past for what it is -- the past -- and we discover who and whose we are, God will use us and guide us into obedience, and once we obey, we will be willing (and able) to act. Abiding in God's presence will lead us on a path to finding joy in our lives.

Embossed With Sympathy message on metallic cardstock

Season of Peace and Love

December is my favorite month for many reasons. For one, it is my birth month (and one of my sisters, baby brother and mother). It is also the month we celebrate Mother's Day in my country of birth (December 8th). Finally, it is the month in which we celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is the season of love and peace to all on earth. It is a time to celebrate the birth of He who came to this world to die, Jesus Christ, the sacrificial lamb offering who willingly gave his life in exchange for ours. It all started at a time like this, Christmas, when a young virgin gave birth to the Messiah, the Prince of Peace. Christmas is a time for us to get together and celebrate his birth; to give thanks for the gift he became to the world. It is a time for all to gather together and forget our differences and celebrate as one this joyous occasion. It is a time to dig deep into our hearts and find the love that is there waiting to be poured out for humankind.

In the spirit of Christmas, we make or buy Christmas cards, we bake cookies, cakes and other goodies; we clean up and prepare our homes in preparation of those who might be coming over for a meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and/or New Years Day, we buy gifts, sometimes forgetting that gift-giving is really not the purpose of the season.  I am reminded of the Advent study book we read just a few weeks ago, titled "Christmas Is Not Your Birthday," by Mike Slaughter.  It is about God's scandalous love for humankind, a love that has no bounds; a love that is generous toward us, and which, according to Slaughter, should be about our lives being transformed to become the ears, eyes, hands, and wallets of Christ, to be obedient to his calling, and to live our lives in service to those who cannot help themselves.

It is my hope that this Christmas finds you surrounded by the love and joy the season brings, but also reminds you that Christmas is not your birthday, but the birthday of the boy Jesus, God's gift to us.

Peace and love!

Pre-printed Christmas cards for clients

Handcrafted Cards cut via MTC with Silhouette Cameo