Don’t Put Off Joy

Don’t Put Off Joy

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

My neighbor Sally had high expectations about how her life was to proceed. She had four active kids, a husband who worked long hours, and twenty postpregnancy pounds she couldn’t get rid of. “When I lose this weight, then I’ll be happy,” she’d tell me. “And when these kids grow up and stop being so messy, I’ll get new carpeting and keep the house cleaner!”

Unfortunately, as long as I knew Sally, things never got good enough, and she kept putting off joy until some far-off day. If, like Sally, you think joy will come when you lose weight or land that great job you want, when your kids shape up or your marriage improves, that day may never arrive. There’s nothing wrong with these goals, but if you stake your joy on having those things happen, you may find yourself perpetually frustrated and may miss out on the very blessings God has for you in this season and this day. We can’t control our circumstances or change the past, but we can choose our attitude. We can see the life we have today as a gift, no matter what challenges we are facing, and choose to live it to the fullest.

Anyone can sing when the sun is shining and the living is easy. But you and I have reason to sing in the dark when the clouds of trials descend on us, for we belong to Christ and he is with us in those trials. That’s why we can choose joy in the midst of uncertainty and in situations that aren’t ideal. A good place to start is to rehearse today’s verse each morning: “This is the day the LORD has made. [I] will rejoice and be glad in it.” Then ask for the grace to do just that. —CHERI

My Lord and my God, this truly is the day you have made. You have not promised me tomorrow upon tomorrow in which I can experience joy. You have given me the gift of the moment, the gift of today. May I rejoice in that gift and in you.

We’re like a child standing in a beautiful park with his eyes shut tight. We don’t need to imagine trees, flowers, deer, birds, and sky; we merely need to open our eyes and realize what is already here, who we really are. —UNKNOWN