As I am reading this morning, I’m wondering something. I’m wondering if the hope that we have through Jesus brings us the joy that it should. Think about that for a second. God promises us eternal life. He promises hope. He promises peace. He forgives us. He promises to always be here for us. Even in times of sorrow and pain, God is there. So once again, I’m wondering if all of these promises bring us the joy that it should. Does it? Examine your heart, and determine for yourself if it does. And know this: It should!
Barbara and I attended a funeral for a young man, around 20 years old, who was killed in a car accident. His mother spoke about a conversation that they once had. He told her he wasn’t afraid to die, he was afraid to not live. That really stuck with me. He was afraid to not live. Meaning he was afraid to not live his best life. Read that again. He was afraid to not live his best life. And I think that through our Lord and Savior we can live our best lives. And that includes that we can have joy like no other. No matter the internal pain or suffering that we go through, they should pale in comparison to the joy that we get from having our Lord and Savior. We should have an internal joy that overcomes all that we face. I bet there are times in our lives that we can testify to this. Times of joy during times of sorrow. And I bet there are times in our lives that we can testify to the exact opposite. Times were there is no joy during times of sorrow. In the Bible we read about Habakkuk. Israel is facing invasion. And he is afraid of losing everything. But he does not lose sight on God. He fully trusts God. And he expresses the joy in his faith. Incredible.
Now, what we all go through is definitely different for each of us. What you experience is what you experience. What I experience is what I experience. And what we experience is very real to each of us. We may or may not be able to understand what it is someone else is going through. And it is not our place to compare those things. If we do that, then we get caught up in judging each other. And that’s not good. But here is what is comforting, no matter what it is you go through, or what I go through, Jesus is constant. He is never wavering. He never will. So therefore, the joy that we can experience will never waver. It will be constant. And it’s waiting for us. Through him, we can live our best lives. And not be afraid. And that is awesome.
