Last weekend proved to be a challenging one for us. Our plans for Saturday were quickly changed when my husband discovered a broken water pipe beneath our mobile home. Do you know how hard it is to find a plumber who will come to your house on a Saturday, even for an emergency?
I am thankful for our friend who took the time to come over and discover where the leak was located. And I’m thankful for the plumber who reconsidered and came to repair the leak that afternoon. He returned on Monday to get rid of the black mold that had formed under the floor and to replace the insulation before the snowstorm on Tuesday. God answers prayer!
Then on Sunday afternoon, after I made chocolate chip cookies for my husband to share with his coworkers on Monday (school bus drivers enjoy homemade cookies). However, when I tried to make ginger cookies later, my oven decided to go on strike, and it refused to turn on. No baking until after Christmas when my new stove arrives.
If joy were dependent on our circumstances alone, many of us would be miserable much of the time. We like to have life happen the way we want. We think we know which gadgets, what job, how much money, etc. will make us happy. We like it when life goes smoothly and nothing stands in the way of getting what we want or achieving our goals. But that’s not what usually happens.
Joy isn’t dependent on my circumstances, although I like the comfort of life running smoothly. I enjoy Christmas decorations, making Christmas cookies, sending Christmas cards, singing Christmas carols, exchanging gifts, and being with friends. To be honest, this time of year, with its short, cold, snowy days, tends to make me blue. I have to be sure to get enough light. I have to get outside, and most days I walk.
To me, joy is the inner peace and hope I have because God’s Son chose to come to earth as a human baby, then as a man He died on the cross for my sin and rose again. When I received His gift of salvation by believing He did this for me, I became a child of God, a member of His family, and I have peace with God. (John 1:12; Romans 5:1) I have hope, which in this case is certainty, of my eternal home with God in heaven. (Colossians 1:27)
May you experience God’s love, peace, hope, and joy this Christmas no matter your circumstances.
John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Meadow Song is available at a reduced price on Amazon until December 26.
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