Do Right Regardless

I love the story of Joseph.

Many people identify with him.  They do what is right, help where they can and are simply a blessing to those around them but things just seem to keep going wrong in their world.

What are they supposed to do?

Be like Joseph and Do right…regardless

The following is from a Bible Study that I held on Twitter.  enJOY and add to it in the comment section below. 

God knows everything and is in control.  We know this and STILL try to navigate our own way.  Do like Joseph, let go and let GOD.

Joseph was the son of Rachel and Jacob.  Rachel had been barren for many years and Joseph was an answer to prayer.

Gen 37 tell us that Israel love Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he was the son of his old age. Can we see the issues that this will cause?

He gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors.  Is favoritism worth the bitterness and hatred between siblings that it causes?

Each child has great potential.  Take time to mold that potential. Work on their individual strengths and dreams.  Never ever compare your Children

God spoke to Joseph in dreams.  Joseph told his brothers these dreams.  The bitterness in their hearts cause them to hate him even more

Christian…YOU should rejoice at the success of your brother & sisters in Christ.  Don’t be bitter or jealous.

Rejoice with them. PRAY for great blessings for them.  I faithfully prayed for a friend for over two years for an awesome job.

I’m super excited that he loves a job that he can be and IS wildly successful on.  Be happy for your friends’ success!

Christian, don't be tempted to be resentful when your brother/sisters in Christ are succeeding.  REJOICE!!

He was 17, he had to know that they were not thrilled with his dreams.  His brothers wouldn’t have any part in bowing down to him

Joseph did what was right in his father’s eyes. He did what was right in God’s eyes.  Even though it seemed not to help anything at all

Joseph, doing what his father wished, went to check on his brothers.  They were so filled with hatred that they wanted to kill him.

Reuben, hoping to come back and rescue him later, talks his brothers into throwing Joseph into a pit.

The brothers stripped him of his rob and threw him in the pit.  As if their actions were ordinary, they sat down to eat.

Don't let it be "ordinary" to cause trouble to other believers

While eating they saw slave traders off in the distance, and decided to make some money off of the little dreamer.

Joseph was taken to Egypt.  The brothers took the robe, dipped it in blood and took it to Jacob.  Jacob grieved for his son.

Can you imagine the anger and bitterness in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers to WATCH their father grieve and NOT tell him Joseph was ok?

Joseph was sold by the Midianites to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

Joseph does right and is the captain. Even though Joseph was ripped from his family, God is blessing his faithfulness

When we are doing right, serving the Lord faithfully and things go wrong, we tend to blame God, whine at God and wonder where HE is.

God, the creator of the universe can use the trials, sin and anything else HE chooses to bring blessings.

Do you get all kinds of whiny with God when you are doing right & everything is going wrong?

Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph.  Joseph says – how can I sin against God? Joseph ran from sin!

How often do we run to sin?  Be like Joseph and run from it. Stay far away and avoid it.

Can you imagine Joseph’s heart at this point?  He is a young faithful man, doing right regardless and yet things still are going wrong.

Chapter 39 says that God blessed Joseph in jail. The blessings we “want” may not be the blessings we get.  Recognize them anyway.

You may desire blessings of a huge 5,000 sq ft home, new teal blue corvette & others material things, but God knows better

He gives you blessings of a faithful spouse, Children that choose to serve the Lord because they want to and a desire to make a difference for Christ.

Be so close to the Lord that when you are blessed in the midst of the trials & problems that you easily SEE your blessings.

The Butler and the Baker are in Jail and need someone to interpret their dreams.

Joseph reminds them that God interprets dreams.  Joseph, while in jail, is STILL giving GOD the glory!

Still giving all credit to God.

Be very very careful to give God the credit for your blessings. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above

Even though the Butler forgot about Joseph for 2 years, Joseph continued to do right and Gave God the glory.

Pharaoh has a dream and the forgetful butler Finally remembered Joseph. (in God’s Time)  Again, Joseph does what?

He says that God will give the answer to Pharaoh’s dream.  He doesn’t take any credit at all.  None.

God allowed Joseph In Gen. chapter 41 to tell him that the famine is going to take place and because of the double dream it would happen shortly

Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of all that he had.  Other than the throne, no one was higher.  God blessed Joseph.

God can work past our sin, our doubts, our fears and our short comings.  God will accomplish HIS desires, in spite of us

Joseph, during all of this time did absolutely NOTHING wrong.  He didn’t deserve to be sold into slavery

Joseph didn’t deserve to be thrown in jail, he didn’t deserve to be forgotten about.  But even through all of that Joseph was faithful

Joseph simply chose to do right….regardless.  He trusted God to work everything out.  It couldn’t have been easy.

There was probably more tears than we know.  A 17 yr old boy would have been homesick to see his father.

There was probably more fear than we know.  Even though young guys are “manly men” they are fearful too.

Regardless of the tears or fears, Joseph chose to do what was right in God’s eyes regardless of the circumstances around him.

His brothers come to Egypt to get food.  They had money but need food.  When they got to Egypt and saw the 2^nd in command, what did they do?

Indeed, they bowed to him.  Just as his dreams of long ago had foretold.

Joseph put the 10 brothers through some testing. Teaching them a lesson, accusing them of being spies and such.

In Gen chapter 45 He can’t contain his emotions any longer.  He weeps so loudly that everyone hears him.

He tells them, I am Joseph.  Notice his first question. IS MY FATHER still alive?  The brothers couldn’t answer him.

His faithfulness was rewarded in that his family was saved from famine & he was allowed to see his dad again

Can you imagine their shock?  Then their fear?  I wonder what was racing through their hearts.

Joseph tells them that even though they sold him, Gen 45:7 “And God sent me before you to preserve you”

God is faithful to keep his promise.  Regardless of what we do or don’t do.  God will bring all things together for good.

In the midst of the injustice, pain and sin, God is able to keep his promises.

Joseph stayed faithful to the Lord even though things didn’t seem fair.  Even though things were not going as he had dreamed.

Joseph did everything to the best of his ability, regardless of the position he was put in.   Joseph did right, regardless.

Bringing this home to us, what can we apply to our own lives?

Are you willing to trust God and do right regardless?

Will you look for and can you find the blessings among the trials and hardships?

Will you allow everyone around you to see God in you, even when everyone is doing their best to stop you in your tracks?

Make the choice today to do right….regardless!

Are you willing to do right, regardless of the situations you are in.  Are you willing to choose, like Joseph to do right while waiting?

What are your thoughts on this? Have you had times where you’ve had to choose to do right…regardless?

Encourage someone by leaving a comment below.

Follow Their Example

I’m always amazed at just how awesome the love of God is. 

When we stop focusing on our past mistakes, failures and current fears and turn our eyes towards the Lord, we’ll see just how amazing HE is. 

The Creator of the Universe, the ONE the wind and waves OBEY… will come to our rescue.

Choose to trust Him when the raging seas have you trembling.

Choose to trust Him when the day is gorgeous and your heart is at great peace.

Choose to be faithful. 

Be like Abraham and simply Go

Be like Joshua and fight for the Lord

Be like Joseph and do what is right…..regardless

Be like Daniel, praying as always so that even when you face the den of hungry lions, you’ll have peace that passes all understanding.

Be like Esther and boldly take your needs before the One that loves and adores you.

Be like Elijah and remember that as long as God is on your side, YOU are the majority.

Be like Noah and be faithful…no matter how long it takes.

Be like Peter and just get out of the boat.

Be like David realizing that when you are facing giants, that God has already equipped you to win.

Be like Nathan and courageously deliver the word of God

Be like Job and wait on the Lord

Be like Barnabas and encourage others in Christ

Be like John the Baptist and proclaim the name of the Lord

Be like Paul and Silas and praise the Lord with singing no matter where you end up.

Be as much like Jesus as possible so that one day you’ll hear the Father say….. Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Keep your eyes on Heaven and Follow Him

What OTHER characters should we be like? Please, list them below in the comment section! and thank you!!!

Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2-dm1DTe90&feature=player_embedded

Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5IaJQfpOk&feature=player_embedded

John 8:12 - Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0myWuADYea8&feature=player_embedded

Crazy Faith

Crazy Faith – Noah and the Flood

As we continue on our journey through the major stories of the Bible via Twitter, we encounter Noah, a man of crazy, radical faith.  

He lived a faithful life when every single person, except family, around him was completely ignoring the Lord.  When God’s heart was grieved to the point of destroying man, He looked out and found one man and his family that had the courage to stand alone and choose to do right.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

He preached day in and day out the message that God had given him; right up until God shut the door of the ark.  He built the ark just as God intended and didn’t even try to cut corners.

Noah had crazy….radical faith.  I want that.  I want crazy faith in the Lord. Faith enough to step out and do what God is calling me to do, even when I’m clueless.  I want faith and courage to stand, even when I’m standing alone and the entire world is against me. 

I want it to be said of me… Marie, found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Here are my points of the discussion we had in the twitterverse Bible Chat.

Please feel free to continue the discussion in the comment section below.

Genesis 6:5&6 – God saw the wickedness of man and how that their hearts continually thought of evil & was saddened

It grieved God’s heart that He had made man.  He was deeply troubled at what sin had brought man to and decided to destroy man

While our Lord is our merciful Father, He is also a JUST God, Holy and expects us as His children to live for Him

Can you imagine the sin and horror that had to fill the world to make God bring an end to man, that was created in HIS image?

I think of the sin in THIS day and age and wonder just how bad it was to grieve God the way it did.

We are not taught to sin, choose wrong or always see the negative. Doing that is OUR very nature.  But, we still have a choice.

The fact that we have a choice to do right or wrong is just that… our choice.  What are you choosing on a daily basis?

We sometimes dress up “sin” to try and make it seem not as bad as it is. But, God destroyed mankind & living things DUE TO Sin.

To God, our choices matter.  Our hearts and the desires matter.  God will not tolerate only evil.

Think about it…. EVERY LIVING Thing, except those that were on the Ark. God punishing sin is HUGE. That is how it grieved God.

When we choose sin over what is right, we grieve God.  Genesis 6:6 But -  Sin isn’t just doing the wrong thing

Consider James 4:17 = If you know the right thing to do and you choose NOT to do it, it is sin.  What are some examples of this?

According to James 4:17 NOT reading the Bible, Not being faithful, NOT giving, serving etc. is Sin

Then… there is a ray of Hope! Vs. 8 – BUT Noah, found grace in the eyes of the Lord! All it takes is ONE person.

Have you ever been the ONLY one to choose to do right? Have you had to stand alone for years and years?

Noah was seeking after God’s heart and those choices allowed a covenant with the Lord to be made.

God still LOVES us, even though we sometimes grieve Him with our choices.

Noah had ha choice to make and Genesis 7: 5 tells us that Noah did according unto ALL that the LORD had commanded him.

Noah chose to trust God, even though no one else was. Noah chose to do all that God said to do, even though it seemed forever

Noah chose to do EXACTLY as God said to do.  Can you imagine? Wondering how this was going to work?

Can you imagine the faith that Noah had to show in the event his family was doubtful and/or scared?

I imagine (just cause I’m a wife….) Ms. Noah, “excuse me? Are you sure honey? God told you what?”

Noah didn't just have to listen to the laughter of "the people"...i imagine his family had questions too #justsayin

Sometimes we will have to make a difficult choice when we are following the Lord, but TRUST HIM and do what you are called to do

Think about the faith it took for Noah to build the ark. It had never rain much less flooded.

Think about just how long it took for he and his sons to build this ark.  & the ridicule they faced each day because of it.

Think about sharing the love of the Lord, a way of safety and NO one….not one soul other than family, listening to you.

Noah built the ark EXACTLY as God said.  Do you get this? exactly!  He didn’t take short cuts or use  cheaper material.

The Ark was designed (by God) to simply float and protect them. Once Noah was in, his work was done. The rest was up to God

Sometimes God will require us to show great faith and step out in obedience.  Genesis 7:5

After the ark was built, 2 of every kind of animal got on board along with 7 pairs of some.  Noah did not have to round them up.

Can you imagine this sight as all the animals simply walked inside and then the food was put into the ark?

Remember, order is important to God.  Afterwards, God instructed Noah and his family to get inside

God Shut the Door.  Never, ever forget… God is in Control.

Via @BillMounce what did the Garden, the Ark & the Cross have in common?

Each is the place of judgment of sin AND the redemption of the righteous.

Even though He punishes our sin, He is there to redeem and to restore

It rained for 40 days and 40 nights.  Until everything was covered and destroyed.  Imagine the heartbreak of hearing the cries

Imagine if God had not shut the door…. The temptation to open it, to try and save others? Remember this when facing your next closed door

You may think you are doing right by beating the door down, but if it’s not God’s design, it simply will not work.

Everything is destroyed. Over a year later, God establishes His covenant with Noah, just as He did with Adam & Eve

He tells them to be fruitful and multiply and gives them a promise…one that WE still see today.

The rainbow.  When we look at a rainbow, we should reflect on God’s promises.  All are true.

Does this mean that God is ok with our sin now? No…. He knows we’ll still choose wrong and that is why Jesus was born to Die for us

Lastly, always remember the faith your past trials took & use that along with the promises of God to see you through the next trial

What if you are standing alone in what God wants you to do? will you have the courage to do it?

Are you willing (like Noah) to do whatever it is that God is asking of you? No matter how CRAZY it seems?

Thinking of the Rainbow - As we wrap up this time together, what are some of your favorite promises from the Lord?

God's Waiting Room

WAITING.... (lake hamilton AR)

God’s Waiting Room

I, through @biblememcoins -  host a weekly Bible Chat where we are discussing some of the main stories in the Bible.  It is live each 

Monday evening at 6pm. Follow along on twitter by searching #mkbiblechat

Reaching others for Christ, one tweet at a time.  These are my notes from that discussion:

Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on this chat as we encourage those who are waiting on answers & help only YOU can give.

Today we are discussing God’s Covenant with Abraham and pulling out some truths that can help us when we land in God’s Waiting room

When we are waiting on God for any reason, we feel so alone and that no one in the world understands what we are feeling

There are many examples of great faith in the Bible when it comes to waiting… Joseph, Moses, and Abraham

Abraham was a man of faith. God told him to go and without doubt or argument, Abraham went.

What is a covenant?  Dictionary.com says it is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not to do something specified

Gen 12:1-3 What was God’s covenant with Abraham? And what was Abraham’s responsibility in this promise?

See Also Genesis Chapter 15 for the ceremony

Gen 13:16-19 God also told Abraham that his seed would be as the dust of the earth so that it couldn’t be numbered.

Abrahams descendants will possess the promised land, God will be their God &

Through Abraham’s descendants all Nations of the World will be blessed.  He would be the Father of many Nations

God also told him And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee

Abraham responded to the covenant with faith! Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness

Difference is, when Abraham believed…he stepped out and WENT by faith.

Abraham has a choice (part of HIS part of the covenant) he must believe God and be faithful.

Was this covenant just to Abraham alone? Who else was included?

How many times do we say God…if this, then that? We are playing with fire when we don’t keep our end of the promise.

Dont take lightly your promises to the Lord.  While grace abounds, HE is a Just God!

Abraham, obviously a man of faith believed God. But like many of US Christians, the waiting got to him/them.

No doubt after 12 years and still childless, his heart wondered how his descendants could be as the stars in the sky.

When we pray, God always answers. Always.  We may not like the answer but HE always gives us an answer.

God will either reply to our prayers with a Yes, No or Wait.  We are thrilled with the immediate “yes” aren’t we?

We have to often times work our way through the “no” from the Lord as our finite minds can’t comprehend HIS wisdom

The “sure…but WAIT” from God is often the hardest.  In this day we want what we want, and we want it now.

Abraham was in God’s waiting room along with Sarah his wife.  They should have encouraged each other but what did they do instead?

You would think with the example after example of people messing up by pushing past God that WE would be smarter and not do it

Not waiting on the Lord and trying to fix it ourselves ALWAYS puts us in another mess

This is one place where we fall down on the job as Christians. We don’t encourage each other to wait on the Lord.

Isn't God good to keep His promise of never leaving us or forsaking us! even when WE cause our own problems

God showed everyone that regardless of age, or being past child bearing years, HE COULD. we need to grab hold of that

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him.  Faith will shine in your life!

Will you risk believing? Will you step out on faith? Will you wait on the Lord? Even though you don’t understand?

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles

Is. 40:31 Continued - they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

God wants us to trust Him.  God wants us to Wait on Him.  God wants us to believe HIM.

What is your favorite go to verse to remind your heart to Wait on the Lord?

Something I try to remind others and do so often, (and myself) “Time spent waiting on God is NOT Wasted Time”

Just as you count on the sun to rise, You can count on the promises of God. God wants us to prove Him. Mal 3:10

Some last thoughts:

Do you have loved ones you want to see come to Christ? Keep praying for them.

Do you have financial needs that are an “only God” category in your prayer journal? Keep praying for them.

Do you have Children that seem to be moving farther and farther from the Lord? Keep praying for them.

Do you have dreams of making a difference for the Lord in the lives of others? Keep seeking God’s direction

Do you want to use your gifts for the Lord more often? Seek HIS face daily and trust God to guide you.

Do you fear that your faith isn’t strong enough or big enough? Remind God that you believe, but ask Him to help your unbelief.

Do you want God to use you for much? Be faithful in the little He gives you.

Trust God!  Even when your heart says it’s impossible.  Even when your gut tells you not to step out.  TRUST GOD…regardless

When you are in God’s waiting room, remember you are not alone.  Remove your eyes off of your own fears, doubts and hurts

And do something to encourage someone else that is in God’s Waiting Room.  [handing you a magazine]

Reflect on some times where God has blessed you beyond your imagination.  Will you share in the comments below?  The idea is to get you to remember so that the next time you are waiting, you won't forget. 

Share your favorite verse about waiting on the Lord. You never ever know who it may encourage! 

While you are waiting… praise HIM

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-M7oGrOa2I

Boundless Love

I’ve been thinking about the love of God lately and how He chooses to use me, a shy backwards little girl that grew up wanting a Christian family of her very own. Our finite minds could never grasp just how much God truly loves us, but if you think with me for a moment, maybe – just maybe you’ll get a glimpse of how great Gods Love for His children really is.

When trying to fathom how marvelous Gods love for me is, the only thing in this world I can compare it to is the love a Mother has for her child.  

• Unconditional Love – A Mother is filled with unconditional love for her child from the moment she confirms that she is pregnant. If she is hoping to be pregnant, that love is apparent before confirmation. At this point in our tiny life, in the womb of our Mother – she loves us, no matter what.  God’s love for us as His children was deep in his heart before he even created the foundations of the world.  John 17:24 says “for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” It’s an unconditional love.
• Never Ending Love – A Mother’s love is never ending. It goes without saying that no matter how much we hurt our moms, how far we stray, how we disappoint them time and time again, she loves us – ALWAYS.  We can ask for forgiveness a million times and the answer is always yes. We can make promise after promise and then choose to break them and still, she is there – waiting to forgive us every time. We can break her loving heart into a million pieces and still, the love she has for us will never end.  Ps. 36:5 reminds us that His love & mercy are never ending. Jeremiah 31:3 says “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” Not only does He love us with an everlasting love, but he will always draw us to himself.  We just need to be willing to go to Him when he draws us.
• Desires the Best for us – Mothers, by instinct have a desire to make sure their children have the best they can give.  The best clothes, toys, food, friends and the absolute best future.  Which is why Moms devote countless hours of praying, working, molding, guiding and even shoving towards what we know will help their child succeed.  Mothers want their children to make the best choices, even if it means enduring the heart break of sitting back and watching them fall off the swing set after we’ve told them a million times not to stand in it and swing.  God’s love for us to have the best is so much greater than even this. In Matt 10:29-31, God reminds us that He takes care of the sparrows, that not one falls to the ground with out his knowing AND that even though he takes time to take care of such matters, that HE loves us more than even this. His ultimate desire for us is a Mansion in Heaven that HE is preparing for us.  Not just another home, room or house – a Mansion! He gives us wisdom in Proverbs, to make decisions, he gives us courage in Psalms – reminding us that He is with us. His desire for us is to give us the very desire of our heart. Ps. 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” God truly desires the best for us!
• Always Willing to Forgive – This almost goes along with never ending love, but I can’t stress it enough. Mothers will forgive their child time and time again. Knowing the pain we’ve caused, knowing the hurt we’ve caused, risking even more hurt by trusting. God forgives us more than that.  Because of His amazing sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins, He is willing to forgive us when we ask.  Does this give us a license to go out and do wrong simply because we can beg forgiveness? No. If we truly love our Heavenly Father (just as we love our earthly Mother) we will want to keep the relationship right. We will want to keep moving closer to them, instead of doing wrong and moving farther away.  If our relationship is right, we will not want our Mother or our Heavenly Father to have to forgive us of anything.
• Willing to Sacrifice Individual Desires for Child – Mothers will do without a new Easter dress, dessert, new clothes, perfume, sleep, comfort, warmth, happiness and coolness for her child.  She will endure pain, suffering, discomfort, fear, loneliness, sadness, horror and do things for her child she would never consider doing for anyone else. She will fight the fiercest, hairiest spider, wade through trash for the lost treasure, drive through raging storms to get last minute items needed to please their child. No sacrifice is too great.  I John 4:14 reminds us that the Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world.  God sacrificed HIS only son for us on the cross, just so that we could live as joint heirs in heaven with Him. God endured the agony of watching His only son be beaten for our sins, be tortured beyond recognition, being mocked and spit upon. God gave up the comforts of Heaven, the continual praise of the angels and the adoration of all the saints so that He could become man in the flesh, endure every trial, struggle and pain that we go through – all because he LOVES us so.
• Willing to Sacrifice Her Very Life - A mother will protect her child at all costs.  She would fight off an attacker, be mauled by a pit bull, step between the barrel of a gun and her child with NO hesitation.  Risk her life without thought of her own being for her child.  As Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins, God knew what having our sins on His son would do for the perfect relationship they had always had.  Yet, the sacrifice had to be made because He loves us.  As  our sins were placed upon him and the sky turned black – God, our Father had to turn his back on his ONLY son.  He had to sacrifice that perfect relationship with His son – all because he LOVES us.  The ultimate sacrifice.  The gift of eternal life from the gift of His very son’s life.

When you gaze into your child’s face and think of just how much you love and adore him/her and your heart is bursting with amazing desires and great love, know that as God looks down from Heaven as our Father, His love for you is so much greater than the love you are feeling in your heart.

As you ponder how much your very own Mother loves you, try to see just a small glimpse of the extraordinary love that God has for us.

We can never fully comprehend His amazing love for us, but looking at the love and desire our mother has in her heart, we get to see a small piece of Gods Heart for us.

Try to image everyday, how much God loves you.

Remind yourself that He is always there, no matter what the journey is.

If you are on the mountain top, His love is wrapped around you, if you are struggling – making your way through the valley, His love is still wrapped around you.  

Always.

Where is Goodness & Joy

The other day I was talking with a friend that I had not talked to in a while.  

Knowing that she had been through a deep, horrible loss with the death of her beloved brother, I emailed her to let her know I was thinking of her and praying for her.

Through a series of emails, she made a statement to me that many of us often forget when the pain is overwhelming and the darkness has consumed our days.

She said:

“Goodness does still exist here, you just have to look real, real, real, real, real, real, real, real, real, real hard.”

Here, among many other things, is what I shared with her.

 “Goodness is still here.  The negative overshadows it.  Hurt covers it.  Pain hides it.  Uncover the goodness!”

Pain, discouragement and disappointment can and often does bring isolation.  Then the depression creeps in.  When that happens, JOY is covered up and because you don’t “feel happy”, the negative emotions take over.

Happiness is a fleeting emotion, while Joy is undeniable faith in an almighty God, who has your best interest at heart.  We may not always understand our pain, anguish or why we don’t seem to be reaping the goodness we've sowed, but we can claim great joy in the Lord as we walk through the hardships that lay ahead.

I’ve had several people tell me that the only reason I can be actively spreading joy the way I do is because things are good and/or that I’m just looking at the world through rose colored glasses.

When I speak of spreading the joy of the Lord “regardless of circumstances,” I speak from experience.   

Yes, I’m so blessed! Yes, my needs are met and many of my wants are met as well.  Yes, I have a wonderful husband, 2 amazing kids and family that I adore.  Yes, I have a job to pay the bills and to give support to Spreading Joy with.  But yes…I do know pain, hurt and just how dark negativity can make things.

There have been times that I’ve looked up towards heaven and said “seriously???? Lord?? Really?”

There have been times that I’ve sobbed, not just cried, but poured out my heart to the Lord saying, “again??? Must we endure this again?”

There have been times when grief has so filled my heart with sadness that I simply couldn't get out of bed.

There have been times when I’ve wondered… “when Lord?  When will a positive answer to prayer come”

There are things on my “only GOD” prayer list that I look at and wonder can I muster up a grain of a mustard seed sized portion of faith for those needs.

There have been times that my hearts tells the Lord, “I’m sorry, Lord.  I’ve completely failed you and I don’t have the wisdom to take the next step”

And as much as I try not to, there are those times when I whisper in my heart, “why Lord.  Why? I simply don’t get it!”

But I can firmly stand on the Word of the Lord with Nehemiah 8:10 saying the joy of the LORD is my strength.  Am I always happy? No, I’m not.  But do I have joy through sorrow? Yes, I do.

So, how do we find the goodness and find joy that gets hidden during these horrid times in our lives?

We look for them, seek them, choose them and keep them.

1. Look for the good. There is usually something good about each and every day.  Trouble is our heart is so discouraged that it shuts its eyes to anything but the negative that surrounds the trouble.  Uncover the joy that is waiting to be discovered.
2. Use praise as a weapon.  Being openly grateful about the blessings in our world will drive discouragement away.  Don’t get me wrong, it may be a fight between your heart and mind, but it is worth it.  Praise the hurt away.  Sing until the clouds lift from over your heart.
3. Laugh.  I love laughing and sometimes, I laugh at the most inappropriate time, which tends to end up being funnier for those around me.  When your heart is in despair, find your favorite cartoons, your favorite funny shows and watch them.
4. Saturate your day with the Word of God.  Listen to the Bible, read the Bible. Find some online preaching.  We should be in God’s word daily anyway, but more so when we don’t “feel like it.”
5. Pray!  Surround yourself with the Comforter Himself.  God knows your heart, empty it of the hurt that is filling it up and let God’s joy strengthen you.
6. Do something for others. Don’t let negative feelings about how small "your something for others is" cloud your heart. Just do it.  I’m telling you, and I’ll keep telling you – go and give a box of Little Debbie Cakes away or a pack of Reese’s Cups.  The smiles will be unbelievable.
7. Dig deep into your memory.  On the days when the sorrow is so great due to a horrible loss and you are working your way through the pain of that particular event, do something powerful and REMEMBER something good, just for a few moments.  I know this kind of day.  Even though you have great peace and trust the Lord to carry you through, the pain is so great that you wonder how you’ll function.  Use the memories of something awesome to remind your heart that “this too shall pass” and just how amazing God’s grace truly is.

This in no way is an exhaustive list, but it is things that I do and turn to time and time again.

I’ve been sending out a message on twitter for a while now.  I will send it out almost daily as I know different people will see it at different times.  It says

JOY....  Choose it today! Look for it today... Expect it TODAY!

In the middle of your discouragement, remember the joy is right there too.  Your eyes are closed to it because sometimes it is just easier to see the darkness.  But remember, even in the darkest night, all it takes is one flicker and that flicker can be seen for miles.

Uncover the goodness; don’t let it slip by you without you grabbing hold of it.

How do you uncover the goodness and joy that is within your reach?

Will you share some of what gets you through the dark times?

What verse or verses get you through?

Inspire someone by leaving a comment.