Unwrapping Advent: Through Voices of Wisdom Dec. 16
Monday, December 16, 2024
Day 16
1 The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice,
doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.
2 Instead of doing those things these persons love the Lord’s Instruction,
and they recite God’s Instruction day and night!
3 They are like a tree replanted by streams of water
which bears fruit at just the right time
and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.
Psalm 1:1-3 CEB
The Road to Joy
There was a time in my life when I was angry at God. Later I would learn it was a misguided anger, but within that time I had a difficult time with my faith.
The church I was raised in was not a loving place of grace. I put a lot of time and effort into my faith and believing it was the truth but learned that my church was not the loving place that held God at the forefront. They preached with fear and threats. I learned later that “if it is not of love, it is not of God.”
When I left that church, I did so in anger and turned away from God. I was angry. I had been misled, treated poorly by the elders within the church and had been gossiped about and avoided. I felt no grace, no happiness, no joy.
About twenty years later I made peace with it, learned forgiveness, and learned that God was not responsible for these imperfect men in that imperfect church. I slowly returned to God. When I say slowly, I mean I sat in church parking lots with fear of going inside and not knowing what to expect.
Living in so much fear ripped my joy from me. I visited many churches, hoping to find somewhere I felt comfortable and comforted. I prayed a lot during that time, hoping God would lead me and my family in the right direction, and He answered.
I found a place within the Methodist church that filled something inside me. I began to pray regularly; I felt the need to be at church weekly; and I felt God’s presence in my life and home. I felt joy for the first time in a long time. The peace that overwhelmed me was what I needed, and in turn, created a level of joy I had never experienced.
I live every day waking up and thanking God for another day. I choose joy in my life. It has become the cornerstone of who I am.
Reflect: When has your faith been shaken? What have you done to make peace with it?
How do you choose joy over the stresses in today’s world?
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I humbly come before You with a grateful heart, seeking to experience the heartfelt joy that comes from knowing You. Thank You for the promises of an abundant life in Christ. I lift my heart in prayer, asking for an overflowing joy that transcends my circumstances and my understanding. I give you all the praise, Father. Amen.
Char Baughman
Methodist Women’s Fellowship