Enter into the Joy of the Lord

My Dearest Sister,

​If you watch the news, listen to the radio, or read the paper, then you know it is impossible to get very far without finding out about some horrendous act of violence, terrible accident, or unfortunate set of events. These stories never cease to shock and sadden us and so often they seem to come faster than we can even process them: Bombings, building explosions, homicides, kidnappings, school shootings, horrific car crashes. It is impossible to hear of such things without feeling some of the devastation, sadness, and fear that have gripped the lives of those involved. As a result, these stories are so often a reminder of the frailty of life, of how suddenly we can have our families, our homes, our security, and even our very happiness ripped from our grasp in one tragic moment. So how do we, dear sister, approach the topic of joy in the light of all the sorrow around us? If everything we have in this world can be taken away in a split second, as these stories and even some of our own lives have testified, how is it possible to have any lasting joy at all?

​The answer to that question lies in the source of our joy. Most of us in this world have at least some measure of happiness invested in our earthly circumstances, and as we should, for I do believe that God wants us to enjoy the blessings He has given us. However, we know that all things in this world will one day come to an end, meaning that any joy tied to this world will end as well. The only way we can have true and lasting joy then, my beloved sister, is when the main source of our joy does not come from this world, but from the promise we have in Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3-4 assures us of this promise, saying we have an eternal future with our Savior, one that is “incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away”. Peter continues on in verses 6 and 7: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith… tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” You see, God knew we were going to have hardships and suffering in this life; But He also instructs us through Peter to rejoice that these trials are temporary and instead we have an eternal, undefiled inheritance in Him to look forward to.

​Jesus Himself says we will not be strangers to sadness while waiting for His return, but also tells us that the joy that is to come will outweigh any heartache we will experience on this earth: “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” (John 16:20-22).

I don’t know about you, but words cannot express the hope that fills me when I read that promise! Not only does Jesus intimately know my sorrows but He also has given me the assurance of that sorrow being quickly changed to joy when I see Him for the first time. And furthermore, He has promised me that no one can take that joy away; It is permanent and will not fade for all eternity. The hope we have for this joy is what keeps us going, through all the trials, all the pain, and all the sadness we will experience on this earth.

​So you see, my sister, suffering and joy are inextricably tied together. We cannot experience the joy Christ has set aside for us without going through the fiery trials. Indeed, it is the sorrow and the sadness that actually cause us to look forward to this unfading joy with such steadfast hope. If we had nothing but an easy life filled only with happiness, then the promise of eternal joy would not have nearly the same impact. Therefore, we have every reason to rejoice in the face of our earthly trials, knowing that they will one day be replaced by more happiness than we can possibly imagine. My response then, to the earlier question of how we have lasting joy in a world of strife and sadness is this: We have had it all along! This permanent, unfading joy has already been promised to us as believers; That’s the beauty of God’s plan for us. Yes, we will still experience sorrow and pain in this life, but the hope we have in the joy that is to come is ours to hold on to. No one can take it away from us.

​With this promise of eternal joy in our hearts, we can stand strong in our faith no matter what sorrows, tragedies, or horrific trials befall us. Know, dear sister, that this kind of resolute faith is powerful. It is how Jesus’ disciples and followers were able to go preach the Word, bearing up under the weight of ridicule, tortures, and even death. Because of his faith in the joy to come, the apostle Paul was able to sing praises to the Lord while shackled in dark and gloomy cells. And every martyr, minister, and missionary throughout the world has been able to face the daily threats, dangers, and persecutions for the same reason: They all lived every day on this earth in the light of their eternal future, always focusing on the joy that was set before them.

​My final question to you is this: If we had the same grasp on the lasting joy that is to come, what would we do differently? Maybe we would live each day a little more for the glory of God and a little less for ourselves; Maybe we would stop caring so much about what other people might think or do if they didn’t agree with our faith; Maybe, just maybe, we would be able to share our hope for lasting joy in Christ Jesus with someone who has none at all. Don’t be discouraged, my lovely sister, by the sorrows and troubles of this world, for we know they are temporary. Instead, live today and every day in the light of your eternal future, always looking unto the joy that has been set before you in the Lord.

​Grace to you and peace from God the Father and ​Jesus Christ our Lord.

​Your sister and friend,
​~ Lauren Titcomb

The Watermark of Hope

My Dear Sister, I have been challenged day after day this month to not only find the time to sit and write to you, but to speak of this blessed topic in the midst of sorrow. However, even as I write those words the Holy Spirit convicts me deeply of how much more we/I need to be reminded of the glorious Hope that comes from God alone to His people. You see sister, typically this is a “teary” month at best for me. It is a month that brings with it the memories of a nine year old girl waking up one morning and no longer having an earthly father. Memories of my mother’s tears and groans of incompleteness after burying my father and returning home to a seemingly empty home and five children to raise alone. Memories of many episodes of life in our home when struggles occurred and wondering/ wishing “If only…..”. The memories have a way of finding their way forward out of the corners of my heart with the first Christmas song played in the season. As a Christian for thirty years now God has blessed me with His Truth and has given me the power through His Spirit to not only recognize this propensity I have to remember the sorrow, but to run to Him with it and to fall into His loving arms to receive His compassion once again. And when I do that He never fails to whisper into my heart the blessed hope I have through His Son!!! This loving whisper is like that of an artists watermark upon their masterpiece. It never disappears, it is there for the duration of the work of art and it declares ownership of the masterpiece. This is the hope I have in Christ. This is the hope that Peter calls “living” and which Paul calls “sure”, and “steadfast”. This year of 2011, and this particular month has brought more sorrow for me. The loss of a father in law that was a sweet kindhearted man and a sister in Christ at our church. Sometimes it seems the sorrow comes in the form of a flood and hearts grow weary. Dear sister, I am speaking to myself as well when I say that I am looking only unto Jesus today and although my vision is blurred with tears of sadness my sights are set and my faith is sure because God has placed His watermark of blessed hope upon my heart and I trust Him far more than anything/anyone that happens to be walking upon this frail earth. Where does your hope lie my dear sister? If you are still trying to love God and to place your hope in this world too, I encourage you to consider turning from the temptation to believe it is possible to do both. The Lord not only requires our undivided attention to His glory, but He alone is worthy of our undivided attention. His blessed hope is all that will remain when we depart from this earth. The sorrow and sadness of this earth comes and goes but the blessed hope we have in Jesus will not! “Blessed be the God and Father of Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible (imperishable) and un-defiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” I Peter 1:3 Turn your eyes upon Jesus sweet sister look full in His wonderful face, and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.* Blessings upon blessings, Susan * Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Helen H. Hemmel,1922