In a dark and violent world of beheadings and shootings, murder and mayhem, we must keep our joy. If we let go of our joy, we will also plunge into that abyss of darkness as surely as a stone falls to the bottom of a well. And yes, there are days when people we know deliberately toss us into a well, and there are days we can barely keep our heads above the water, but we must not lose our joy. Where do we find that joy? In the Lord, and it is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Without that joy, we will not have the strength to tread the darkened pathways of this life. We must stay in the Light, allowing Him to shine upon the paths that lie before us. Don’t lose your joy! Pray and hope and cling to His hand! Don’t allow things that haven’t happened to drag you down and frighten you! Take a deep breath (and I’m saying these things to myself just as I am saying them to you) and stay away from the edge of the dark abyss! Climb up, up, up onto the Rock, and when you gaze down at that black abyss, you will see a small dot not large enough to swallow a gnat. Now—lift your arms and laugh, because the joy of the Lord is your strength!
Picture by Ilayda Portakaloglu
abundantlypardoned 