True Blue Charmer

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Joy of the Lord

"The joy of the Lord is your strength."—Nehemiah 8:10.

Feeling a bit of my weaknesses coming to the surface today. In my striving for a me that is true and real, I am working on something that is often difficult for me. Not letting other people control (or steal) my joy!
I am finding that no matter where you go in life, there are people that, if I let, will steal my joy. Family, the lady at the grocery store, someone who hurts your child, even in church ~ the one place that I had thought maybe you would be safe from mean people. I guess that is where the part comes in about none of us being perfect. Hmmmmm. I have always had the hope that going to church, you would be in the presence of people who at least try to be nice, try to have mercy, try to do the right thing. Not always. I had the hope that if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and had joy in your heart that you would try to live in peace will people. Try to have joy. Try to love the brothers and sisters in your own body, so that you could go out and reach the lost.
But the key . . . . . I have to LET them steal my joy. And often I succeed in doing that!
So my mission is to remember to live by looking past those things that don't really matter in the scheme of life. I need to remember to give it all to the Lord, to lay it at the Cross! I cannot be an effective disciple if I let every little hurt bring me to my knees. If I want to keep my joy, I have to grab hold of it, I have to lay down those things for the true joy of the Lord! It begins in my own heart . . . by prayer and faith and putting Him first in all. Otherwise, I am letting those things fill the space that should be filled with Him and His word. He is what matters most.

"Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my Exceeding Joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God my God." Psalm 43:4

"And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His Tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD." Psalm 27:6

"Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit." Psalm 51:12







I read this quote written by Sue. I am trying to process it, and want to know what you think about it.

"There are even times when people can rob years of our joy. We need to give these things over to God and know that when we have done all we can, we need to leave the rest up to Him. Forgiveness doesn't always mean reconciliation. If we have tried to restore a relationship, and the other party is not willing, that is their part, and not yours! Forgiveness is a one way street. Forgiveness doesn't always mean that reconciliation will follow."

3 comments:

Larslyan said...

Amen!
Praying for you.

Unknown said...

This is a difficult, but important lesson to learn, my friend. The first step is to say it out loud and then you must make a daily decision to walk it out. The reason that people hurt us and steal our joy so easily is because we care for them. If we did not it would not matter. Forgiveness is ultimately a choice. A choice that keeps poisonous roots from taking hold in our hearts. First it is a foothold then it becomes a stronghold. You will have to make your mind and heart line up with scripture and do the Godly thing even if you feel the Godly thing is not being done. I am proud of you for taking steps in a rigt direction and hearing what God has to say to you on this matter. Love you!

Kim said...

"Even if the Godly thing is not being done." THAT is the hard part for me! LOL. It is our choice to make the Godly choice in our circumstances.
If our Heavenly Father has forgiven us, even when we may not be deserving, then who are we to not practice forgiveness.
The first step is forgiving and then praying that you have truly left it, and if there is no reconciiation, I guess that is when we have to shake the dust from our feet. But move on without bitterness, and knowing that it is all part of His plan for our lives, and we can always learn something from it! And it may not be all about us. It may be about God showing the offender something through the situation or through us. But there can be a lesson in it for all.