Are you seeking true joy?

Many people’s greatest wish for their friends and family is “that they would be happy”.  But is that really the best wish we could have for others? Or even for ourselves? Happiness is fleeting.  It is dependent on our outer circumstances or other people.  Joy, on the other hand, TRUE joy, can be experienced no matter what may be going on in our lives.

I must tell you that ever since I was a little girl, I would wonder “Why am I here?”.  I knew that there was much more to life than just spending some time on Earth, then dying.  I searched for answers in a lot of the wrong places.  It took almost 38 years for this verse in Jeremiah to come true for me – “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (29:13) . But it really happened!  I found God in the only way possible, through a living, active, personal relationship with Jesus.  My heart was filled with joy as I finally understood why Jesus lived here on Earth with us, then was crucified, died, and rose again.  It had never really made sense to me before.  I chose to accept the gift of getting to live in eternity with God – not by any good works I did, but only by the offering made freely to all by Jesus, who took on the punishment we deserve.  I understand that to many people, this sounds strange.  It sounded absolutely crazy to me earlier in my life.  But if you are truly seeking God with all your heart, He will give you the ability to understand at just the right moment.

Sure, I go through many tough times – I struggle with long-term physical issues, I experience disappointment, struggles – but I know without a doubt that “Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and temporary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our troubles. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)  I have joy in the midst of my circumstances, because I know that compared to eternity, my suffering here is for a very short time.  If you would like to know more about having this true joy for yourself, please feel free to email me through the Contact page.  I would love to correspond with you!

From my heart to yours,

Lisa