The word is Joy

Every New Year's Eve, I ask God to give me a word on which to focus throughout the year. Last year, my word was TRUST. This year, God gave me the word JOY. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting this to be the word He'd chosen for me, but I know He has His reasons. Last year, when He gave me the word TRUST, I never dreamed I'd rely on that one word so much in my life, but God knew. Last year was filled with challenges that I never could have managed to meet without trusting Him for wisdom, guidance, and direction.

Years ago, I started the tradition of seeking God for His specific word for me at the beginning of the new year. I don't remember what prompted me to do it, it must have been something I'd read somewhere. Maybe it was something one of my favorite Christian authors encouraged or maybe it was a blog post I'd read on the internet...in any event, I thought it was a good habit to get into, so I adopted it for myself.

So this year's word is JOY. When I feel God speaking to my heart about a specific word, I usually begin by asking Him to confirm what I'm hearing. I do this by spending a lot of time in prayer and by digging into the Bible. When I am sure of the word He's given, the next thing I do is look up all the definitions I can find of that word, even if I already know what it means. By doing this, I always learn something new.

Joy's definition:
1, the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
4. a state of happiness or felicity.

Okay, so I've got the meaning of the word. The next thing I do is find verses in the Bible that contain the word and then I study them individually. My Bible is the Amplified version and I love it because it contains extra information gleaned from the original Greek and Hebrew. For example, here's the first couple of verses I want to focus on this year, James 1:2-3. The New International version of the Bible says it this way: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." But look at how much more detail the Amplified Bible gives: "Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]." With that verse in mind, I then begin to apply it to my life and ask God to help me understand what He has to say to me from that verse. 

If you've been reading my blog since it's inception, you'll know I've written a little on this subject before, but please allow me to touch on it once again. How is it possible to consider cancer with joy? The only way to do it is to see it through God's eyes and to know He allowed it into my life. And no, when I was first diagnosed, I did not in any way, shape, or form consider breast cancer to be joyful. I felt abandoned and forgotten. I felt bewildered and alone. But, since my diagnosis, God has taken me on a wonderful journey. He's increased my faith exponentially throughout this ordeal. 

It's only been 18 months since I received my initial diagnosis. In that year and a half, I have been through so much emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Would I change anything over that period of time? Not really. I might have changed the way I reacted and the way I perceived things, but I wouldn't change anything else. Oh, sure! I wish I'd never been given the horrible news that cancer was residing in my body, but looking back...even what was meant to destroy me has been used for my good. 

Only God could know that sending the trial of breast cancer my way would produce in me the desired spiritual maturity He deemed necessary. Don't get me wrong...I certainly have not learned all He wants to teach me through this and I'm sure there are still many bumps in the road ahead. With His grace and mercy, I'll meet those difficult times and hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze a little joy into the journey. 

Joy. Yes, Lord. I agree. It's a fitting word for me this year. I haven't focused much on joy lately, in fact, I think I've been far from it with my complaining and my griping. I've been caught up in all the discomfort I've been feeling with my swollen arms, the bulging discs in my back, and the physical fatigue. Pain isn't very joyful. I haven't been feeling joy at all. I can't even remember the last time I rejoiced. So thank you, God, for giving me this word for the year. I look forward to what you have to teach me about joy and rejoicing. Today, another Bible verse just popped into my head as I was about to wind up this post - "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. 

Yes, it's often easier, especially when you're feeling rotten to complain, but I don't want to always do that. Joy is a choice and today, I choose joy!

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