A Lasting Season of Joy

This past month, in my fourth and fifth grade Sunday school class, I’ve been working through a lesson on the topic of joy with the kids. They’ve shared about circumstances that seem unfair and yet they can pinpoint how joy can be found in that situation nevertheless.

For example when a friend breaks a promise, doesn’t keep their word, and let’s us down we can choose to find joy in the fact that God always keeps His promises. He’s the author of the Living Word. And He will never let us down; Psalm 54:4 reminds us that ‘God is our helper and the upholder of our lives.’ People are imperfect and fallible, but when we consider our relationships we can find joy in the truth that God is always trustworthy and capable with us.

Joy, simply put, is finding a way to be happy even when things don’t go your way. As a Christian that type of joy is found through our faith and relationship in Christ.

*Lindsey Van Stelton photography*

This time of year we see the word joy displayed on ornaments and Christmas decor, we hear it belting from department store speakers as we shop, or we sing it out during worship time in our churches. If Christmas were labeled with an emotion, joy would be of the top choices. It’s a word people often times associate with, or even accentuate on, during the Christmas season; however our soul can feel disconnected from the feeling of joy if our lives aren’t instep with God’s will — and honestly, the bottom line is that joy should surround our lives year-round.

Worldly desires and material possessions such as Christmas gifts provide us with temporary pleasure and can cause us to feel happy for a short amount of time. But maintaining a healthy relationship with Jesus each day brings about a lasting rush of inner calmness that settles over us with a blessing of pure certainty and peace and is ultimately defined as true JOY.

Months after the tree is down, joy is the only gift that shouldn’t have lost its luster; it’s the one gift that keeps on giving. The best part is we can take it anywhere and everywhere and when people question us about the joy we wear, not only across our faces, but the joy they notice within our hearts, we get the opportunity to open up and share the Christmas story and the gospel.

Beautiful right?

If joy feels absent, foreign, or far from your feelings dig into God’s word, study scripture on the topic of joy, and humbly ask God for a fresh start at a life filled with unending joy.

…and take it from my wise fourth and fifth grade Sunday school class, ‘just because you may be going through a hard time doesn’t mean joy has to elude you, God can use that trial to produce perseverance and maturity in Him and that is definitely something to celebrate joyfully about.’

Applicable verses:

Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful. -Philippians 4:4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4

Author: alimw2013

About For His Purpose~ My name is Alicia and I'm a thirty-something year old who loves Jesus. Only through God’s amazing grace and mercy I have been redeemed from past regret and shame. Reading His word has allowed me to look past Satan’s forceful lies, to see myself for who Christ says I am in Him. Through writing I have learned why I made the choices I made in my younger years and I now have a better understanding of why I desire to love God like crazy these days. Despite my daily failures, God remains faithful always. I am reassured of His unconditional love for me by every ink-drop spilled out on paper, each committed prayer as I cry out to Him, and deep understanding reflected through reading His word as truth. Yes keeping a blog will make me vulnerable to others’ opinions- there will be some who don’t understand, some who may criticize or judge, but on the other hand if just one piece expressed through my writing grabs someone’s attention and directs them to God, then pouring out my heart in a blog for the world to read is worth it. I choose to glorify Him alone through words streaming across a glowing screen. And it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t reveal the fact that I’m incredibly quirky; I’m my loving husband’s best friend, my vivacious kids’ craziest cheerleader and spiritual trainer (3 John 1:4). I love anything farmhouse and rustic style. I think cupping a warm coffee mug in the palm of my hands is more satisfying than the contents within. I share a common obsession with my husband for the mountains, but I would (without a doubt) settle for waves crashing against my legs at the Atlantic Ocean just as well, and I almost always have a Yorkie curled up on my lap while writing. *All photos are photographed by forhispurpose.blog and therefore may not be stored or photocopied in any manner.

14 thoughts on “A Lasting Season of Joy”

  1. Smart kids! 😊
    True joy comes from God’s Spirit in us. Joyful feelings come from believing His truth. Could it be that lack of that feeling denotes forgetting the truth and drifting into believing the lies? “Consider” in James 1 takes an act of the will to choose joy by choosing God’s truth. So, like you said, digging into the word and praying are the place to start! 😊

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    1. Ahh yes!! I had to look up that verse after I read your comment! Such a good verse, I actually haven’t come across that one in a really long time!! Thanks for the reminder❤️ Merry Christmas to you friend and thanks for reading!

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  5. Beautifully written, Ali. I’m actually on a blogging break, but I’ve popped on a couple times to read posts. When I’m not feeling great I so need to read an uplifting perspective, so thanks for sharing. I have a totally different take on the gift that keeps on giving! Lol. I’ll share it in January. You know Andrew and I, we’re a bit quirky… (This is actually starting to make me feel a bit self conscious. I may email you sometime to clear my head.)

    Your new pics are all so beautiful. I love your Gravatar photo too. 😊 Have a Merry Christmas!

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    1. Yes definitely email if you’d like!!❤️ I knew you were on a break because I’d read it in one of your last posts. I’m behind on reading posts from fellow bloggers, I just can’t seem to get a good schedule going and get something figured out as far as a routine for reading and then writing…it really bums out..so if you have any suggestions.

      I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon!!! Stay well!! ❤️ ya!!

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