Monday, June 25, 2012

I Got There

Hi.  My name is Janelle, and I am a life that is changed.  I've come to know and understand the difference between 'happiness' and 'joy."

There are many things that make me happy; hearing one of my grand babies call me "Nana;" seeing one of my kids succeed at something they have desired or worked for; spending time with my girlfriends - these moments are "situational" and don't last; well, maybe except for being called "Nana!" 

On the other hand, joy is something that comes from inside.  It's more about an attitude, a state of mind; or a condition of the heart. 

1 Peter 1:6 says: "There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while." 

Everyone goes through hard times; or trials.  We don't have the same struggles or experience the same losses; however, the promise is the same.  If we endure through the hard times there will be joy!

Endure, or endurance, is simple the ability to continue doing something over a period of time. 

For athletes, it is reasonable that while competing in a sport, there is a knowledge of how long they will need to endure; or how far.  In basketball, it's reasonable to assume that you need to have enough endurance to physically and mentally last for two halves; for a runner starting a race, you know how far you have to run. 

It's different when struggling with an illness, a struggling relationship or the consequences of our bad choices; there is no way for us to know how long we will need to endure. 

It's during these times that we are re-made; every circumstance, every situation, every decision plays a role in who we are and who we will become. 

We don't have a choice in our future; but we do have a a choice in our present and I believe that God uses our experiences and trials to break of of our own will and independence into a life of surrender and dependence on him. 

I love the song by Ben Rector, "When A Heart Breaks."  
"
This isn't easy
This isn't clear
And you don't need Jesus
Til you're here
Then confusion and the doubts you had
Up and walk away
They walk away
When a heart breaks"
I have struggled in my life; struggled with the consequences of my bad choices before I met Jesus.  It's through my struggles and heartbreak that I got "there" - to a point of surrender and a realization that I need Jesus and wanted him to help me through my life.

I experience happiness in my life; but more than that, I have deep joy.  Even as I continue to struggle and endure in my life, I have peace that comes from the joy of knowing Jesus as my personal Savior. 

I continue to be a life that is changed.

"When A Heart Breaks" by Ben Rector

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