Living Life With Joy # 1
For the next few months we will do a series about "living life with joy." Many of you know about our youngest daughter, Joy, but for those of you who don't we want to share with you what we've learned from God concerning her. Joy will be 22 April 28th and has an IQ of about 55. When she was 4 years old, we learned that she was born with about 60% hearing loss. The journey with Joy has been a mix of frustrations and disappointments with an abundance of joy, celebration, and gratefulness. God in his sovereignty had us name her Joy so we could experience a different perspective of living life with joy.
As we discovered Joy's handicaps my frist response was not "Praise the Lord!" My response was one of shock and bewilderment. I asked God questions like:
- Why me? Why my daughter?
- I've been committed to you all these years. I love you. I thought you loved me.
- How could you allow this to happen? Is this a mistake? God took me to passages like:
- Exodus 4:11 - "The Lord said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?'"
- Psalm 139 - Which told me that Joy was fearfully and wonderfully made when God created her in my womb. All the days for Joy were planned before one of them came to be.
- Will you fix it? When will you fix it?
- What will come of Joy? - Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans i have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."
I began to discover verses I'd read since childhood that took on a different meaning. I had always believed Romans 8:28-29 meant that everthing that happened to me would be pleasant and easy because I loved God. I said, "God, this can't be good, and I thought you promised an easier life." Perhaps this Scripture that spoke to me so clearly was 1 Peter 4:12-13: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." I read a book by Barbara Johnson who said, "We can choose to gather to our hearts the thorns of disappointment, failure, loneliness, and simay due to our present situation, OR, we can gather the flowers of God's grace, unbounding love, abiding presence, and unmatched JOY. Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional." I began to see that I was becoming bitter and miserable, and I asked God to hel me see HIS hand in all this. I made a choice to be better instead of bitter and miserable. I quit asking "Why God?" and began to ask "What do you want to accomplish in our lives?"
Over the next few months, I will share with you lessons that I've learned in living life with Joy. These are not earth shattering revelations, yet they are ver applicable for each of us. This month we will begin with:
God Sees Our Handicaps Like We See Joy's Handicaps
Scripture tells us that we are slow learners. Hebrews 5:11-6:1
"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again... Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Chrst and go on to maturity..." Do you see it? Have you been a Christian for many years with little or no spiritual growth? It takes most of us quite a while to catch on to some of God's truths. Joy may never have the mind of Einstein but she can have the mind of Christ, which is the hope for each of us who know Jesus as Savior (1 Cor. 2:16).We are "hearing imparied." John 10:47
"My sheep listen to my voice." We don't hear from God for reasons such as: 1) unconfessed sin, 2) wrong priorities - We'd rather listen to TV, the radio, friends, husband, 3) we're too busy, 40 we are too rushed. We give God our want list but don't wait to listen to His "still small voice."Our balance is off. Romans 7:15
Is your daily walk with God consistent? How about the way you treat people? Do you consistently control your tongue and your thought life? Are you read to leave the elementary teachings? Are you ready to quit being so slow to learn what God wants to teach you?I pray that you will begin to see areas in your life that God wants to use to teach you and make you more like Jesus. That's the truth of Romans 8:28-29. God wants to take all things - painful and pleasant, bluders and blessings - and use them to make us more like Christ.
