Joy Everlasting

Since moving home to NH, it has been an adjustment. I have lived my whole life with the dream of going to college to get a degree. I spent four years studying, playing sports, leading in the dorm, getting involved on campus, and in my church away from home. I spent four years studying to prepare myself for the after-college life but now I am here. I am past the campus life, living at home with my parents, and everything is just so weird to me.

You spend your whole life dreaming of the career path you desire to have, the dream person you hope God blesses you with to spend the rest of your life with, a job in your desired field, as well as any other dream or goal you wish to achieve. After five months of searching everywhere and anywhere that was hiring, I found my first job in the counseling field. Almost three months ago, my boyfriend became my fiancé. Everything seems to be lining itself up as God writes my story. I am overjoyed by God's blessings in my life! Academic and career goals are being reached and the dream of an adult job in a field I love has been provided for me!

You see many of us make goals for ourselves. We make them in career, relationships, hoped accomplishments, academics, etc. We strive to reach these goals to achieve happiness. This is all good! I believe those who fail to plan are only planning to fail. Without a plan, how can you achieve your greatest potential? Without goals, how are you sure that you are growing daily?

The thing is that even when everything is going well for us, we must not forget the truth. The truth is our happiness can not be found in what is going right around us. Happiness can not be reliant upon our relationship status, job status, academic status, etc. If you are not happy before reaching your goals, happiness will not suddenly be a part of your life because you reached said goal. It needs to be found in the one who never changes.

Hebrews 13:8

"Jesus Christ never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Your sole purpose for life and goals need to be found in your identity in Christ. Maybe you got a promotion, became a parent, got into your dream college, finished your degree, you name the accomplishment, the source of your joy needs to be found in the one who gave you all of those things. There is nothing wrong with being joyful in the things that go well for you, but you must remember to thank God for each of them.

James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

It is easy to forget God’s goodness and His grace when things are bleak; but, I believe it is even harder to remember God is to thank for everything you have when things are going well for you. When you are struggling at your worst, God’s strength is so evident as you can not survive without it. You are desperate for His hand of mercy in your life. When things are going well, it becomes easy to rely on yourself for joy and peace instead of on God who grants both freely whether circumstances are good or bad in your life.

When your joy is reliant upon you, your joy will waiver dependent upon your circumstances; however, when your joy is dependent upon God and His character, only then will you have joy everlasting.

Where do you find your joy? Is it in your accomplishments? Or is it in your God? There is nothing wrong with being excited. The joy radiating from my face when my future husband asked me to marry him is just about the most joyous my face has ever been; but, what brings me more joy is the God who placed that man in my life at the perfect time so that we could glorify God together. It all goes back to God. Your career, ministry, family, and everything you do on a daily basis comes back to God. Your ultimate purpose in life is to make God look good.

When things are going well for you, give God the glory. When things are bleak for you, give God the glory. No matter your stage of life or status in relationship, career, academics, give God the glory.

Do not get distracted by the circumstances you are in. When things are going well, do not get so distracted that you do not praise God for the blessings in your life, He is the reason you have them. Nothing you have is your own. Everything you have is a blessing from God.

Only when your joy is found in Christ will your joy not be dependent on what is going right or wrong around you. Find your joy in Christ who never changes, instead of your circumstances which could change at the drop of a hat.