IS THERE NO JOY?

My prayer list is long---and I am privileged to be asked to pray--but I am hearing whispering in my ear---

"There is NO joy!"


A precious baby---is taken in a moment--leaving his heart broken parents and family submerged in grief


The grief endured when loosing a precious young woman FAR too early

A mother with a disabled son--she must now watch him fight a deadly cancer

Broken families--with children reeling in the wake

Tragic accidents leaving grieving spouses encapsulated in loneliness

The slow disappearance of a spouse attacked by Alzheimer's while physically present

Illness of the mind---leaving parents at a loss as to how to advocate and unmuddle the confusion

Those who are alone and lonely--facing the world with no one by their side--some raising children

Poverty all around me-the homeless on the side of the street two blocks away

Children who are struggling with learning

and the list goes on and on--

And all the while--the whispering in my ear  "There is no joy"

And then I am reminded as I look out at a beautiful blue sky---there is joy--in each and every day---but heart ache also comes our way--sometimes more than we can bear.

Then I am reminded---"There is Joy in Jesus."  The real and true joy---it all comes from Him.  There is no explanation for most of the other--and it is sometimes unbearable and at a minimum severely painful---THEN I LEAN in---and look to Him---the only true and complete joy.

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Isaiah 26:4

IT IS ALL GREEK!

It makes me tingle all the way to my toes--to see how God is teaching me.  The intricacies of His plans-and the seemingly simpleness of it all playing out makes my head spin.  He is a MIGHTY GOD---and I am awe-struck as His plans for me are revealed.  

Do you remember my encouragement to read this book?  I started this book weeks ago-

It is beautifully written--with words wrapped in prose like circles all reminding us to give Thanks----Eucharisteo---the Greek word for thanks.  The book is a  challenge to write down all those gifts in our lives and worlds for which we are thankful.  A book that I have slowly read and chewed upon as I have delighted in the description of Thanksgiving for even the mundane.  A long and slow digestion of the beauty and joy in our lives.

I am attending a women's Bible study here in Fort Worth.  This study is based upon the concept of BSF---an in depth probing and dissection of The Word--an exploration of the rich - deep texture of God's very being as revealed to us in 
His divine revelation to His beloved.

Today's word included the lesson of the Greek meaning of two basic words which we cling to in the revealed word of God:

Grace - Charis

Joy - Chara

Look back at the Greek word for Thanks--and notice the root of the word--Charis or Chara-------Grace and Joy are embedded in the midst of Thanksgiving.

My quest at this time in my life is for joy---the joy which is found when experiencing the grace that has been lavished upon me. In the midst of all this reminder of the Grace and Joy in my life--I give Thanks---Eucharisteo.

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Psalm 106:1

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