Joy

Have you ever just sat and counted your blessings? I feel as if people do not do that as often as they should, me included. When I was preparing to write this blog post on JOY, I couldn’t help but count my blessings. Even in the midst of finals for school, a time that can be very stressful for any student, I still managed to see where God has blessed me and It is quite overwhelming if I am being honest.

The verse for our JOY line is Psalm 16:11b which say’s “in your presence there is fullness and JOY”. As Christians we are taught that God is always with us, so the question remains, if we are always in God’s presence, then why are there times when we aren’t joyful? Now, call me over analytical, but I think this is a very important question. It goes hand in hand with the “Why do bad things happen to good people?” question. That question, however, is a conversation for another time. But taking a deeper look at the verse, it is undeniable that God brings JOY no matter what the circumstance. Spending time in Anapra with my Ysleta Lutheran Mission was a perfect picture of what this verse is saying. The people there have little compared to what I have, yet they had much more JOY than I had. It really made me stop and think. These people get JOY out of the simple blessings that God gives them. What brings me JOY? What brings you JOY?

This holiday season, I would encourage everyone to count their blessings. Taking a deeper look at what you have truly can be an eye-opening experience, and it makes you appreciate the simple blessings that God has given all of us. Like the people of Anapra, we should find JOY out of the presence of God!

God’s Blessings,

James Switch