Happiness or Joy?

As I start this entry I am struggling for a title. My family and I just returned from a week at Disney World. We had a great time and it was the perfect thing to do for Deb before she begins her chemotherapy (more on that in my next entry). One of the things that I found interesting is all of the people that were running around having a great time yet they still seemed to be so lost. Don’t get me wrong, it is great when families get together and spend some time in activities enjoying one another. But in many ways I found it sad that amidst all of the activity people had no idea about real joy.

We all have times when we are happy or sad but the joy that the Lord provides transcends all of that. It is the joy of knowing that we are loved by a God so much that He had His son die for our sins. It is the joy in knowing that everlasting life is ours since we confess Jesus as our savior. It is the joy in knowing that God has a plan for our lives and a plan for our children’s lives as well.

So amidst all of that frenzy I could not help but feel sad for the people that seemed to be having a great time. Because their “great time” is so temporary. But because our Lord loves us and we strive to know Him more initmately we can know true joy, not just temprorary happiness.

In a nutshell I believe that is what we are here to do. Through God’s love explain to people that there is more to life than what the world has to offer. That there is greater fulfillment in the Lord than we could ever get at any theme park. So we must press on and show people God’s love each and every day so that one day they might know true joy too.

Be blessed,

Pastor John