Joy: Turning Disappointment Into Opportunity As humans, we often get real carried away with disappointment. We let it consume much of our conversation and our time. I suggest that if we examine our disappointments in light of the opportunity they give us to grow, we become more and more spiritually tenacious! Stick-to-it-iveness means sticking to it in bad times and in good.
There really is something to the Word of God that tells us to count disappointments (with others or with ourselves) for joy! What? you say, has she finally lost her mind?
No, but I'm tenacious. And I know that God's word is true. If He tells us to count it for joy, then He has a reason. I might not understand that reason (yet anyway), but I'm going to act on what His Word says, because I know He will finally show me when I'm ready. And I know that the love of Jesus will win, it has already triumphed!
[As an aside, there's very little God can show us until we start obeying Him.]
A couple of passages worth thinking about are found in James 1 and Romans 5. These passages give real good direction about standing in faith on joy and peace in disappointing times.
We already have peace with God. Now that is one you should memorize! Because it is a true Word from God that we will need every single day of our lives. Knowing that peace makes it easier then to endure disappointments and trials. That peace is a gift God has given us for these very times, the disappointing times.
The Romans passage goes on to tell us to glory in tribulations. My goodness, you say, how could I ever do that? We can do that because of the gift of peace He has given us. Believe God when He says He has given you peace. He does not lie. And stand on that peace, don't give it away to the devil who comes to steal your peace.
Now why would we glory in tribulations? Because, as His Word tells us, we glory in tribulation because we know that will build patience, and patience will build hope. This is how we exercise our spiritual muscles, by believing that what God tells us is true.
Can you picture Paul and Silas at midnight in prison, in chains, so full of joy that they bust into praise songs? I picture it differently now than I used to. At first, I just saw the picture of God making them do it. But now, I see it as they had such joy in their hearts because of their love of Jesus, they couldn't be quiet if their very lives depended upon it. But that joy in their disappointing circumstance is a Godly joy, and nothing bad can ever come from it.
Your sister in Christ,
EarthMomma
There really is something to the Word of God that tells us to count disappointments (with others or with ourselves) for joy! What? you say, has she finally lost her mind?
No, but I'm tenacious. And I know that God's word is true. If He tells us to count it for joy, then He has a reason. I might not understand that reason (yet anyway), but I'm going to act on what His Word says, because I know He will finally show me when I'm ready. And I know that the love of Jesus will win, it has already triumphed!
[As an aside, there's very little God can show us until we start obeying Him.]
A couple of passages worth thinking about are found in James 1 and Romans 5. These passages give real good direction about standing in faith on joy and peace in disappointing times.
We already have peace with God. Now that is one you should memorize! Because it is a true Word from God that we will need every single day of our lives. Knowing that peace makes it easier then to endure disappointments and trials. That peace is a gift God has given us for these very times, the disappointing times.
The Romans passage goes on to tell us to glory in tribulations. My goodness, you say, how could I ever do that? We can do that because of the gift of peace He has given us. Believe God when He says He has given you peace. He does not lie. And stand on that peace, don't give it away to the devil who comes to steal your peace.
Now why would we glory in tribulations? Because, as His Word tells us, we glory in tribulation because we know that will build patience, and patience will build hope. This is how we exercise our spiritual muscles, by believing that what God tells us is true.
Can you picture Paul and Silas at midnight in prison, in chains, so full of joy that they bust into praise songs? I picture it differently now than I used to. At first, I just saw the picture of God making them do it. But now, I see it as they had such joy in their hearts because of their love of Jesus, they couldn't be quiet if their very lives depended upon it. But that joy in their disappointing circumstance is a Godly joy, and nothing bad can ever come from it.
Are you beginning to get the drift? And to see how every disappointment or trial can be an opportunity for joy? Isn't the joy of the Lord something we all want more of?
Your sister in Christ,
EarthMomma