Christmas is over, but I'm still singing the carols of the season. I've got one particular song stuck in my head and heart for good. Oh, I've sung it a million times before, but something about this Christmas made it different.You see, God is good all the time, I just don't always notice it. And the pessimist in me fails to open my eyes to the amazing wonders of all that He has done. Sadly, I notice what's missing. What's gone. What's lacking. What's wrong. Living like this sooner or later catches up with you, and this fall, it got the best of me.
I found myself lost and in a bit of a spiritual crisis. "Where is my joy?" I wondered. I can read about it and sing about it, but I realized that I wasn't preaching the truth of joy to my heart and certainly wasn't living it.
Until one Advent Sunday this past Christmas. Singing the old familiar carol {how many times have I sung it, really?!}, I heard the words for the first time.
"No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground,
He comes to make his blessing flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found."
Suddenly, an image flashed through my mind of ice-covered Narnia thawing out as majestic Aslan arrives to usher in the life and hope of springtime. How had I missed this? This is the blessing conquering the curse. This is the picture of redemption and restoration. Where there once was curse, now there is blessing. Where there once was brokenness, there is now healing. And where there once was darkness, there is now light. Aslan is on the move, and he is reversing the curse everywhere. In focusing on the deadness of the winter of my life, I had almost missed the glorious renewal of springtime blessing and joy! The truth of joy is that when we finally notice His infinite blessings all around us, He sprouts new seeds of joy in our hearts.
It's a picture of my Savior swallowing up sorrow and sin, and yes, all those nasty, prickly thorns of the brokenness of life this side of eternity, and making all things new now.
And once again I am captured by the wonders of His love and can finally sing again this New Year, "Joy to the World, the Lord has come!"
Remind me of this truth of joy each day, Jesus!
3 comments:
Beautiful illustration.
Boy did I need to hear this today. After a long hard day yesterday followed by a sleepless night, I feel completely joyless this morning. You remind me that the truth is, I have the joy of Christ in my heart. I just let Satan steal it, cover it up with the grumpiness and resentfulness of life not going my way. It's His way I seek, and want to learn to be content whatever those circumstances are.
Boy did I need to hear this today. After a long hard day yesterday followed by a sleepless night, I feel completely joyless this morning. You remind me that the truth is, I have the joy of Christ in my heart. I just let Satan steal it, cover it up with the grumpiness and resentfulness of life not going my way. It's His way I seek, and want to learn to be content whatever those circumstances are.
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