Rediscovering JoyУзорак

Lilias Trotter (1853-1928) was a Christian missionary to the people of Algeria. A gifted artist who had the opportunity to pursue her craft at the highest levels, Trotter nonetheless felt called to North Africa, where she spent 40 years of her life living out her calling to missions. In her experiences during that time, Trotter exclaimed, “God only knows the endless possibilities that lie enfolded in each of us!”

How many of us find our hearts leap for joy when someone talks to us of possibility and potential and promise? That is God’s love language with us. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). "Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14). “For no word from God will ever fail” (Luke 1:37). 

The possibilities and promises of God are found over and over from the first to the last pages of our Bible. Even today, as God works in our lives and brings us good gifts—whether those come in good times or bad—we have the opportunity to do what many before us have done—(1) remember the endless possibilities that exist in God and (2) build stones of remembrance as these come to pass. 

Joshua and the Israelites demonstrated this visibly as they crossed to the Promised Land. In Joshua 3:5, we find Joshua declaring to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” 

How many of us are preparing ourselves for the “amazing things” God will do among us? How many of us even believe He will do amazing things among us? Our first step in joy-filled remembrance is to have faith that God is up to amazing things all around us!

Second, as the Israelites crossed over the water on dry land, God told them to have 12 men take stones of remembrance for the great work God had done. “These stones,” Joshua told the people, “are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Josh. 4:7).

When we record—whether in written or verbal form—all the great things God has done in our lives, we can look back and see a trail of love and joy that carries us into the next challenging phase of life. Consider for a minute a time when God did something wonderful for you. That can be a stone of remembrance that can be a tangible reminder of His goodness!

Like all things in life, joy is only as long-lasting as we allow it to be. Just as we won’t likely remember how to spell “onomatopoeia” unless we linger on the word and etch it in our minds, so too, the longer we linger on the promises of God and the ways He has brought us joy in our lives, the more we will find joy in each moment moving forward. 

What does your joy-filled stone of remembrance look like as you anticipate the good things God will do in this year and in the future? 

Tomorrow, we will give you permission to focus on yourself in order to find the gift of joy God is offering to you.