THE KEY TO UNSHAKEABLE JOY

Do you find joy in the midst of difficulties & pain? It's easy to be joyful when things are going well but the real challenging question is: How do you remain joyful in times of adversity?

One of the key components of pain is related to loss. You feel pain the most when you lose something: a job, a relationship, a career, an opportunity, a loved one, your health, your finances, your beauty, or even your house.

Every loss hurts.

2015 was a year of loss yet, a year of gain for me. I lost my Dad. I lost my small business. I lost some of my savings. However, in the midst of those losses, I found and gained my Living Hope.

Before we get into the living hope part, let's ponder over "dying hope" first. You might be wondering what a "dying" hope means. Anything temporary in this world where you put your security in, is a "dying" hope. It could be your job, your health, your finances, your relationship, your beauty, your accomplishments, or even your house. These are temporary things; here today, gone tomorrow.

Sounds discouraging, doesn't it? I know. But that is the reality of life. Now I'm not saying you don't need to nurture and enjoy these things; you can because these are wonderful blessings. But problems come when we place our hope and security on temporary things of this world. And the way we process these two "kinds" of hope determines the level of joy and contentment in our hearts.

In a world of change, I found my living hope in God. I realized that He is the only constant in life. Joy is not the absence of pain or difficulties; it is the presence of God.

After the passing of my Dad, I still get sad whenever I miss him. However, my sadness turns into joy and feelings of gratitude when I think about how he was a gift to me from God. I think about the good things he did while raising me. I think about the good memories, the valuable insights and lessons learned from him. I think about God's purpose in every painful situation.

In my experience, unshakeable joy comes from knowing that God is good. I believe that joy is the product of trusting God's goodness. It means having a heart drawn towards Jesus: the pioneer & perfecter of faith. God gives you the power to experience unshakeable joy.

It says in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord!" I believe that in order to rejoice in the Lord, one should be able to trust the goodness and beauty of Jesus.

Today, I encourage you to open your heart and receive His gift of unshakeable joy.

Much love,

Heart of V