Is it really possible to have JOY in the Mourning?

(This is really a follow up on an article on JOY from my Names of God on Rocks blog posted yesterday in  Rock4Today.)

At the time I wrote the book Joy in the Mourning, I was often struggling to find that JOY!  There would be moments of JOY which would sometimes come bursting in at the most unexpected times.  I wouldn't know whether to enjoy the moment or to feel guilty for having this JOY in the midst of my grief, because it almost seemed inappropriate!




I think my little sister Phyllis spoke with much wisdom when during one of these times of JOY she said to me, "I don't think you can really appreciate JOY until you have known the depths of sorrow!"

Possibly that's what David was thinking when he wrote in the Psalms, "Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning."

To me, that unexpected joy may be triggered by a small thing, like a call from a friend, a smile from a child, a beautiful sun rise, the song of a bird, ...or just a good cup of coffee!

At other times, like my daughter Sarah wrote in Choosing Your Feelings, you have to pursue joy, chase it down and make it your own.  (Click on above link and scroll to end to read Sarah's brief book.)

My counsellor friends from Ozark Family Ministry say it this way, "You can't choose your feelings, but you can change your thoughts, and your thoughts can change your feelings."

If you are needing a little JOY in your life today, "May God, the source of hope, fill you with JOY and peace through your faith in Him.  Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  (Romans 15;13 from Names of God Bible)


Linking with Winsome Wednesdays, Brag on God Fridays, and Spiritual Sundays!