Have you
had your Joy Juice today? Notice the
sweet fragrance…why it smells like fresh flowers on a beautiful spring morning!
We’re all
familiar with the saying “April showers bring May flowers”. But did you know that this proverb has been
traced all the way back to about 1557?
Though I’ve always thought it related only to the springtime rains of
April bringing the beautiful flowers of May, one interpretation of the proverb
expresses another meaning: “Good things come tomorrow from unpleasant
circumstances today.”
That’s
another way of saying what James said in Chapter 1, verses 2-4: “Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever
you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance. Perseverance must
finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
(James 1: 2-4)
You may feel
as if life has showered you with more than your share of trials. Discouragement and even depression may be
sitting heavy upon your chest right now….siphoning all the JOY right out of
your heart. You might find yourself wanting to yell, “I can’t take it anymore!”
But by
trusting in Him each step of our lives…through the good times and through the
trials, then Godly character will be developed in us….traits such as
perseverance, spiritual maturity, wisdom and JOY. So instead of complaining and crying “WHY
ME???” let’s see our struggles as the showers that will bring the flowers of
JOY into our lives.
Let’s count it all JOY and remind each other to persevere!
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