By Grace Through Faith

I recently was reading through Ecclesiastes, and if you know anything about that book, you will probably think it is very “doom and gloom” at times. Solomon asks many questions around the topic of “what’s the purpose in life”.

However, even as it may have a sobering tone, I found it to be very insightful on the aspect of joy.

As I have become older, I notice that I tend to struggle with joy more. I remember as a child, I enjoyed playing, creating, dancing, singing, and much more. There was a lot of enjoyment to my early childhood years. Times where I could dream and have no worries.

However, as we become older, we realize that there are more threats in the world at us. Especially as a Christian, it becomes not only a physical or emotional battle, but a spiritual battle even more so.

There are many times where I can not notice joy in the moment. Instead, when something is not going how I want it to, I can notice pretty much everything going “wrong” in the situation. I start feeling disappointed or discouraged, which can even cause me to isolate or turn away from the experience all in itself.

“Comparison is the thief of joy” is a quote that is often referenced to Theodore Roosevelt. When I hear this quote, I often think of John 10 as well where Jesus identifies the devil as “the thief”.

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:9-10

Recently, at church, we were walking step-by-step through Psalm 23. Our ministers were preaching on the aspects of a good shepherd. A good shepherd also provides for the sheep everything it could need, while also protecting and guiding the sheep from harm. Of course, there are real enemies that come towards the sheep like lions or wolves, but the shepherd looks out for his sheep and keeps them together.

When we think of aspects of a thief, they tend to want to take all the good, right? They want the money, the expensive things, the good things that we have. The enemy wants to steal our joy in the good things so that we will lose faith and hope in God. Satan’s main goal is for you to stop pursuing the Lord and the Lord’s calling towards your life.

Growing up with social media, I’ve noticed now that it affected me often with this “comparison” game I played a lot. Noticing who has the better outfit, who went on the better trip, etc. And yes, we can celebrate others while also holding space for our own desires. But, we can’t live in a mentality of ignoring the good and the joy when it’s present in front of us. We won’t notice God in that, and the enemy will get even more attention from us.

The book of Ecclesiastes has helped me in learning that joy is actually all around us. It’s in creation and how the Lord made this day. It’s in our relationships, the people that care and acknowledge us. It’s in our work, even when our work can feel tasking or challenging. It’s in our daily bread, the food we eat. It’s in how the Lord speaks to us, through His Word and through the world around us.

God provides GIFTS to us, and as His sheep, we are to ENJOY those gifts. This doesn’t mean that sorrow, hurt, and brokenness is not still around us. It is – we live in a broken world. But, we have to be intentional to notice and rest in God’s presence through the gifts that He gives to us.

He loves His children and wants to bless His children. What gifts has the Lord blessed you with in this day?

With love,

Claire