JOY...in Grief!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s something we can choose to drink even when we’re grieving.

            Many of us have been through heartbreaking circumstances lately: loss of loved ones, tragic accidents, maybe a terminal diagnosis.  There are those who have lost jobs and are having to relocate, therefore saying goodbye to family and friends. Personally, I recently lost one of my dearest friends to cancer (Janice Carlisle) and my heart continues to mourn. Odds are that each one of us is either going through a time of grief or we know someone who is.  Sorrow is never a welcome visitor.

            Can we still have JOY when our heart is aching?  I think we can!  If we depend on the Lord.  David reminds us in Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song”.

             Writer, Micca Campbell explains: “First, David believed God heard his cries. Second, he relied on God’s provision and strength. Third, David trusted in God’s help with all of his heart. This kept him from growing weak, losing heart, and giving up. Finally, because David believed God was for him, in him, with him, and behind him one hundred percent, David was able to give thanks with a joyful heart.”

            When you find yourself in a period of grief, can you do as David and call upon the Lord as your strength and your shield?  If we will trust in God, He WILL help us to get through this dark time.  Let’s look toward the rainbow after the storm, knowing that God’s treasure will be peace and JOY.

            We will all experience grief along life’s path, but amidst the tears, we can also find JOY in the Lord.

Lovingly dedicated to my precious friend and “sister”….Janice Hudson Carlisle…whose life touched many with JOY in the LORD!