You are my Joy.

Warning: this post is real life.

It’s my real struggles and faults. My prayer for this blog is that people would be drawn to Jesus through my everyday struggles. Thanks for reading and for your support.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been really letting my emotions get the best of me. Maybe its because I am just worn out, maybe its because I have days where my health still bothers me, or maybe its just because my focus has faded. I have been clinging to the verse:

“Let us not grow weary in doing good…” (Galatians 6:9)

Before I made the decision to return to the States after June, I spent so much time wrestling with the decision. Wrestling with the feeling that there was shame in making an adult decision (bathed in prayer) that might cause others to “talk.” All my life I have been learning the lesson of living in the freedom of Christ and the beauty of not being bound by the opinions of others. It’s hard and I feel like it gets harder as I get older. During this decision-making, I received a message from one of the Godliest women I know that said, “Madison, no matter what don’t let Satan use this to steal your joy.” That short sentence hit me in just the right way. My first thought was, “He can’t steal my joy!” However, slowly but surely he has tried. Over and over, he has attempted to steal my joy. He has tried to take the joy out of finishing strong and the joy of continuing in the ministry that the Lord has called me to right now. You see, I have once again been learning the difference of happiness and joy. Happiness is very situational and can fluctuate daily- who am I kidding, it can fluctuate every hour. Joy does not depend on our situation. Our joy should come from Jesus. Our joy should flow from the fact that a perfect God sent his ONLY son to a world of sinners to sacrifice Himself for us and bring us to a saving relationship with God. This is joy.

“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10b

He is my joy and my strength. This may sound a little cliché. Until you have really understood and grasped the fact that no matter what happens, no matter where you are, no matter who you are with, or how you feel, Jesus is still on His throne; you will not be able to experience the overflowing joy of the Lord. I have said this once and I will say it until the day that I die: Jesus Christ is always enough. I want to share a passage from 1 Peter that has been a great encouragement to me this week.

“If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:13-18

Thanks for sticking with me through this ramble of a post. I pray that you would be encouraged today. Keep your eyes on Him. Have a wonderful day!

-Madison