A Scriptural Prescription
We’ve all heard those clichés about wearing rose-colored glasses. We tend to use that phrase to describe people who are cheery, upbeat, and generally optimistic. But finding joy in life is less about your personality dimensions and more about your heart’s intentions.
The last time I ordered sunglasses online, there were upward of 25 different tint options. Although I had absolutely no idea so many shades existed, we don’t need more options to block out light…in fact, we need fewer. No matter what we are going through, God is always there to revive our joy and carry us through it. But sometimes we get so busy focusing on the struggle, we forget about Him. We allow all that dark to block out His light.
We live in a fallen world. There is no denying it. We are constantly surrounded by the consequences of sin. But, as we wander around all the peaks, valleys, and deserts, we are never alone and if we choose joy by turning to God, He will deliver us from it all. This relationship isn’t about an external filter that changes WHAT you see…it’s about an internal filter for your heart that changes HOW you see. Psalm 30 contains a beautiful description of this transformative process. I encourage you to read through the entire chapter; you’ll recognize many lines from popular worship songs! But, verse 11 truly gets to the heart of how God works to revive our joy: “You turned my lament into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” (CSB) Notice He doesn’t just relieve the “lament” or take away the “sackcloth”. Both tokens of sadness are not only erased, but also replaced with “dancing” and “gladness.” He doesn’t give us some medicine to treat the symptoms; He fully delivers us from the depths of our struggle and revives us with joy. Think of it as when little Mario dies and comes back as big Mario…you’re back and better than ever!
This revival sounds amazing, right? God is capable of more than our human minds can ever fathom, but if we want to see fruit in our lives, we must actively seek Him. Constantly seek Him. It’s not a one and done experience, either. This is an on-going process. We must return again and again to Him. How do we do this? There are so many worldly options, but scripture and time with Him are the only true remedies. Scripture molds our hearts and guides our perspectives. There’s not a single struggle in this world that we cannot conquer with God’s help through His word.
Have you ever witnessed a believer’s grace in times of struggle? It’s not that the experience is easy or that they don’t feel anything, they just actively choose to remove the blinders and turn their focus on God. It is God actively working within them to revive their joy. I have had the amazing experience to witness the strength of true faith in both my mother and grandmother. Through a variety of situations that would have left any non-believer desperate and seeking, both of these women continued to rejoice in God’s many blessings. As believers, we need to face struggle not from a place of what we do not have, but rather from a place of what we do have. It’s not about the burdens; it’s about the blessings. The many, many blessings. As God molds us into a vessel for His purpose, it’s not always going to be sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. There is going to be loss, grief, stress, and heartache. But our faith in God’s faithfulness makes it all survivable. He will always revive our joy; we need only choose the right prescription to clearly see Him.
Catherine (Cat) Garner was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Nevada when she was 10. She grew up in the Las Vegas community, then earned her BA in English and Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno and her teaching credential from UNLV. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who has taught, coached, mentored, #allthethings in public schools for over a decade. She also walks in a variety of school-related roles outside the classroom such as writing curriculum and teaching professional development classes. Her husband, Ryan, is a CPA and they have one son, Jack, and a fur-daughter, Emma. She loves worship music, shoes, a good book, Precepts Bible studies, soccer, making silly TikToks, Sally Clarkson, house plants, and yoga