“You have the joy of the Lord in you.” I was surprised to hear this from a complete stranger, but I listened regardless.
Today, our little family went to Chick-fil-a (my kids could eat there seven times a day, for reals), and I was getting one final refill on my unsweet tea, I randomly smiled at this lady placing her order. “You have a beautiful smile!” she said. It was out of the blue for me to hear that, but it seriously felt like the Lord wanted me to know, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ,” and while he’s not done yet, he’s done a lot.
Here’s a little personal history for you. My life has known its share of loss. At 19 months old, my oldest brother died as a result of a car accident and not wearing a seatbelt (this has resulted in some contention with a few friends who don’t like wearing their seatbelts). In second grade, my friend died as a result of an anaphylactic reaction to something she had eaten at a friend’s party, and my freshman year of high school, another kid (a year older than me) was killed in a car accident. My maternal grandparents both died before I was ten, and my paternal grandfather died when I was almost 11. By that point, my grandmother had such severe dementia, she wasn’t really my grandmother anymore. I moved halfway across the state (for context, this is Texas, so halfway is pretty significant) during high school. Two of my closest guy friends from that high school also died, one from an unknown physical defect, and the other in a car accident. Fast forward to my twenties. My husband’s grandmother died after we’d been married only six weeks, and my mother in law died a year later. We move cross country a couple years later and leave behind our friends and family in Texas to start over in Colorado. It’s been an adventure, and I’ve known my share of grief. I also know that grief, from whatever root, takes many forms, even in the same person, and it’s a bitch. Somedays are fine, you can survive and thrive, and other days have you feeling like you’re drowning, waiting for a break so you can actually breathe. There are days where being alone is the worst thing you can think of, and other days where being with people will be torture.
So when this lady says, “you have the joy of the Lord in you,” I listened. I knew she had probably had her shares of trials, and I recalled how hard moving here had been, a family of 3, not knowing anything about the people or the culture around us, and wishing we could go home for the holidays before realizing that was not feasible. I remember the times I longed for Texas winter instead of Colorado snow. I remember the hard times. But I also remember a promise I cling to every day. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV) I praise God, not because life has been easy, but because He has been good through all of it. I praise him when life is hard because that’s all I know to do. I have made it a goal, a personal mission of sorts, to praise God whatever the circumstances, and it isn’t easy.
It goes back to my one word. Abide. It’s choosing to be still, to listen, to wait. It’s choosing to remain where God has me now, and trust in his promises and commands. It’s believing that He is good, even when all I see is the storm and the waves crashing around me and trusting that he is still there. He’s the constant.
He is constant.
Let that sink in for you, friends. Wherever in life you are, whatever emotions you’re feeling, God is constant. I’d love to hear how you’ve experienced this in your life.
In Him, Karen
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