You Can't Stop Joy!

“Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.” ~ Sam Storms

When I was a  child, I remember the joy of watching television families celebrate Christmas. I always dreamed of being in one of those families. You know, the “perfect” family. I loved to watch and even feel the joy and closeness the families shared.

In reality, each Christmas, I knew I would have to survive the storm, so the joy of Christmas could arrive. Each year the company my dad worked for would have their Christmas party just two or three days before Christmas. I will just say that my dad always celebrated too much, and when he finally made it home, the storm before Christmas would blow in with a vengeance. My brother, sister, and I would dread the storm, but we always knew it would blow over just before Christmas arrived. Somehow the family always pulled together to imitate the “perfect” family Christmas.

As the years passed, I came to trust that the joy of Christmas could survive through any circumstances. It wasn’t about me finding joy, but rather about realizing that I can’t stop joy from coming to me. It finds me even in the darkness. Mary and Joseph had a quite a long and dark trip to that dingy stable. Yet, even in a stable, enduring difficult circumstances, joy was brought into the world through the gift of our Savior.
     
Life’s circumstances are not always fair, and the storms of life can break our hearts. Even in our darkest moments our Savior will keep sending us messages of joy even if we don’t feel like receiving them. He will always be arriving in our lives in unexpected places and even when we least expect Him.

I don’t believe the “perfect” family really exists. I’ve yet to meet one. I have however been blessed to know so many families that know how to pull it together because joy refuses to let go of us and is just so beautiful! The presence of God will bring comfort and joy not only at Christmas, but all through the year. We neeed only to get to know Him better and be willing recipients of all He wants to share with us. Yes, joy is truly the presence of God.

Let us pray . . .

Dearest Savior,

Thank you for the daily joy you bring to our lives. Give us hearts to recognize your presence and guidance. Help us be your conduits of joy in other's lives as well.

Amen