Be Clothed in JOY!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  With every sip, count your blessings!

            Do you know how to fully enjoy your life, right where you are….regardless of stage of life, circumstances or hardships?  Author Ann Voskamp tells us how she has determined to do just that! Her “plan” is tried and tested.  She says that we should:

1.      Biblically lament our losses

2.      Turn our pain into poetry

3.      Intentionally embrace a lifestyle of radical gratitude.

Let’s take a close look at number one on her list: "Biblically lament our losses."

All of us experience the heartache of loss---death of a loved one, end of a relationship, even job change or retirement can bring a sense of loss. We are not to deny the pain.  We should, instead, embrace it as a part of the process of life.  It’s therapeutic and comforting to share our heart’s deepest sorrows with a support system of friends and family.

            Scripture tells us in Galatians 6:2 to “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  This is how we “Biblically lament our losses.” Allow others to help you carry that burden by sharing your hurt and sorrow with them.  Then, one day you will reciprocate.

             Open your heart to Christ… and remember the verse in Psalm 30:11 “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.”