Finding Joy When Life Stinks
Who knew that at 33, that the task that won the day was putting on pants, or making the bed as a step of victory. Life is hard right now.
I think we all have a different reason for why this is so hard. Maybe you are working from home, teaching kids, and struggling to keep your sanity. Maybe you lost your job over all of this and the future looks so very uncertain. Maybe your health has been a battle or the health of your family. Or maybe you are like me and this season has attacked your mind.
An already vulnerable place has become even more so in these last few weeks. It has been hard to make sense of emotions and factors that are contributing to my emotions. It has greatly affected those around me, and I have had to learn how to find new ways to cope while being stuck in the house.
It feels impossible to find joy when life stinks.
With God, however, just because it feels impossible, doesn’t mean that it is impossible. The truth is we can come out on the other side better than when we went into it. We have to do some things first in order to make that happen.
I think the book of Philippians will help us do just that.
We have a confident hope.
It is times like this that I am grateful that my hope isn’t fixed in my circumstances, or what I feel. No, my hope is found in Christ and the work He began in me. Paul says in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will carry to completion.
I can hope in the work that God will continue. It is a reminder that His promises are true and He will never leave me alone. Even better than that is that it is not a work I have to do myself, no, it is His work to be done. What greater joy can we have than knowing it is not up to us whether or not the work is done perfectly.
We need to take our thoughts captive.
Our thoughts can weigh us down there is no denying it. So what do we do with the thoughts that make us anxious or depressed? We bind them up before they bind us.
We name the thought, we give it to God, we speak the Word over it and tell it the truth. It cannot hang on when we have poured truth over it.
Try our new Anxious For Nothing Journal to help you walk out these steps.
We need to keep our eyes on the goal.
The goal is not this life, the goal is Christ and Heaven. When I am blinded by my circumstances then I can fix my eyes heavenward. This isn’t my permanent dwelling.
Paul says he will press toward the goal because it is worth it. He will continue the work because God is worthy. We can face hard things because it will be worth it. God will see us through to the goal if we hold firm and continue the work.
We can rejoice always.
Maybe the hardest of all is to rejoice always. Even when it stinks. Even when it is an uphill fight and battle. We can rejoice in it. Why? Because our Heavenly Father does nothing without a purpose and a plan. While I may not have it all figured out, He does. I can rest firmly in it, and rejoice that he is good always.
Whatever your struggle right now, whatever thoughts or feelings you are facing know that there is joy in the midst of pain. Not because of who we are or what we can accomplish but because of Christ.
Need extra help navigating your anxiety right now? Need help finding joy? You can grab our newest digital study of Philippians and the companion anxiety journal in the shop now.
