100 Days of Hopeनमूना

Finding Joy

True or False: Life can be overwhelming.

False: There will be seasons when life is overwhelming. The Bible promises it.

A secular magazine recently told the story of a middle-aged man who was unemployed and struggling to find work and provide for his family. What was special about this story was that the man was embracing the situation, maybe even considering it “pure joy.”

Many years earlier in this man’s life he had faced a similar bout with unemployment, and it was during this very difficult period he gained the patience, humility, and wisdom that helped define his character and ended up being critical to the many years of success he had prior to losing his most recent job.

Trials are critical to spiritual maturity. When trials come you either lean into them and grow, or let them get the best of you.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, the author recounts every imaginable season of life:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot. …

Eight more verses span the highs and lows that can be experienced within a lifetime. Embrace them all. Celebrate the joyful ones and try with all your heart to welcome the painful ones as they are part of God’s plan for you to be “mature and complete.”

Prayer: Father, thank you that through every phase in life you are with us. Whether we are experiencing a time of success and ease or one of hardship, help us to celebrate your goodness and your grace to us.