2013:Joy

I have thought a lot over the last week on how I wanted to write this post. And sometimes that is just the problem. Thinking. It can be simpler. It doesn't have to be perfect and worded just right for it to stick or for people to get it.

Last year I chose relate as my word. I chose it for a lot of reasons, but mainly because I wanted to grow in relationships. I wanted to create new ones through new life experiences and hobbies. This year I have chosen joy. This word became more and more important to me as 2012 went on and I knew without a doubt it had to be my word for 2013.

"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: the faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning."-Lamentations 3:21-23

And that my friends is the reason to never lose your joy.

When your marriage feels rocky..."Great is his faithfulness"
When your husband is laid off..."Great is his faithfulness"
When a new town is hard..."Great is his faithfulness"
When friendships seem far..."Great is his faithfulness"
When you lose the baby inside that you have yearned for..."Great is his faithfulness"

When you believe that He is faithful through the good and the bad, your joy is never robbed. Sure a day may be hard. Yes, you might cry and yes it might hurt really bad, but the enemy has not stolen your most precious emotion...joy. Because you know that "his mercies never cease", in fact they start over with every waking day. It is something to celebrate.

My prayer for this year is to never lose my joy. No matter how bad things may get I pray for everlasting peace and joy. I pray that it is my joy that gives me hope and it is my joy that gives others hope. I pray that the light of my joy shines for others when their light is going dim. I pray that when I am angry about a situation and feel my joy fading that I would immediately seek Him for the sole purpose of not losing that joy. I pray for a foundation based on joy.

I can't help but think how much love and joy our world needs right now. Everyday it seems like we are waking to more hate, negativity, and opposition than what existed the day before. Now, more than ever, our world needs people that provide hope and positive encouragement. Your word may not be joy for 2013, but my prayer is that whatever you have declared brings more goodness to the people around you. Be a light for others. Love hard.

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."Romans 15:13