Teaching Tuesday- Finding Joy

This past weekend I was the student. I attended a ladies conference at my church and sat in the audience as a student instead of instructor. Here's a taste of what I learned:

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

It’s no surprise that Jesus perfectly handled the journey to the cross. After all, He was Jesus. But how does that translate into our everyday reality? How does that look during our hard times, our temptations, our tribulations and cross bearing situations? 

Let’s look at Jesus example…Hebrews 12:2 says, “for the JOY set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”Jesus kept his eyes on the future…the joy that was beyond the hard times, the joy that was beyond death, the joy that was bigger than his current situation. His perspective of eternity weighed more than the trials of this earth. His joy was bigger than his circumstances. His joy was completely wrapped up in fulfilling His Father’s purpose for Him. 

So what does that look like for us today…

When the diagnosis doesn’t come back the way we hoped….

When the kids are wayward and rebellious….

When the marriage is falling apart…

When the job situation is sticky…

When finances don’t make it to the end of the month…

When our schedules overwhelm us…

Real Jesus joy looks past the current situations and walks with purpose, fulfilling the plans God has for us. We don’t excuse or ignore the current situations but we are focusing our thoughts and our hearts on eternity. 

Easy? No. The cross was not an easy place for Jesus. There was pain, sadness, mourning and death. But the cross was not the end. And your cross you are called to bear is not the end. There is joy because we know that eternity will be sweet. We know that walking through life with Jesus is far better than walking without him. We know that the shame the enemy wants us to walk in is a trap and distraction from keeping our eyes on the Father. 

So, as Mrs. Rita said on Saturday, “Chin up, buttercup!” Eternity is ahead. Our joy may be hard fought for here on earth, but it will be worth it if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ!