Instant Joy?

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  I can’t promise that it will instantly make you JOYful, but it sure will help to start you on your way!

            We live in an age of “instant” everything….instant coffee, microwavable dinners, instant payment by scanning debit and credit cards. It’s almost as if we have forgotten how to wait.  We even expect to learn patience INSTANTLY, and in our hurry we miss the contradiction.  When we experience pain…whether it is physical or emotional…we want relief quickly.  We want an instant cure for everything from toothaches to heartbreaks. 

            Although some pains can be cured, we still live in a world where many people suffer.  And we never know when it’s going to be our turn.  Sometimes suffering comes from consequences related to our own bad choices and actions.  Other times, suffering shapes us for special service to others.  And then there are those times when we are under attack from the enemy.  Often we don’t understand WHY we have to suffer.  At those times, are we willing to trust God in spite of unanswered questions?

            In order to be able to face each day with joy…regardless of our circumstances… we must come to the understanding that knowing God is better than knowing “why”.  Remember, pain is not always punishment.  God might be using that difficult situation to mold you and make you into the kind of person that He created you to be…so that His purpose can be fulfilled in you and through you. 

            Though we may not always understand the “whys”, we can still drink our Joy Juice because we know The Who: Jesus!