When my son was about two years old, I was a single mother. We lived in a small apartment in the corner of our building which was approximately 10 steps from the laundry room for the complex. I felt very lucky that I did not have to walk a mile hauling heavy hampers and baskets like everyone else, but still adhered to the rule posted in the laundry room: “Do not leave your laundry unattended.”
One evening I came home exhausted as I had worked late to try and earn some overtime, and everything we owned was dirty. I quickly gathered some of my work clothes, some towels, and the brand new clothes I had just purchased for my rapidly growing toddler, and the two of us walked the short distance to the laundry room to do the wash. We played and sang and did everything I knew to do to entertain a toddler until the clothes were ready to go in the dryer, and then my little helper showed me what a big boy he was by helping Mommy move the clothes over to the dryer.
By the time the dry cycle started, however, my son was over the adventure of the laundry room, and began to whine and cry and say that he was hungry. I knew that the rules told me I was supposed to watch my laundry the entire time it was in the laundry room, but the whiny, impatient toddler tugging on my hand was making it hard to think logically. I was sure the clothes would need to tumble for at least 25 minutes to be completely dry, and since our apartment was only a few steps away, I decided to take him home to eat and return before the cycle was over.
We hurriedly walked the 10 steps to the apartment, I cooked the fastest grilled cheese sandwich I had ever made, and sat at the table encouraging my son to hurry and finish so we could go get his “Pooh shirt” out of the dryer. He finished in record time, and we ran back over the laundry room, basket in hand to get our clothes.
However , when I walked in the laundry room, the door to the dryer our clothes had been in was open, and the clothes were not inside. Panicked, I looked all over the laundry room; on the tables, in the washers, under the counters, all to no avail. Someone had snuck in while my eyes were not on my clothes, and had stolen them from me. My stomach sank and tears of anger and fear rolled from my eyes as we walked back to the apartment, wondering how I would afford to replace the things that had been stolen from me. I was livid! How dare someone come and take my things! What gave them the right? Why would they think it was OK?
When I got home I did what any young mom would do when she doesn’t know what else to do-I called MY mom. She listened as I vented and ranted and raved about how unfair it was, and how I couldn’t believe that someone had the nerve to take what belonged to me, and how if I saw someone wearing my clothes I was going to raise a stink right then and there. After I calmed down and stopped yelling, my mother calmly and quietly asked me “Tiffany, are you sure that you are not at fault in this, too? You saw the sign that said not to leave your things unattended. You knew the rules and chose to take your eyes off of your belongings anyway. What happened to you is unfair, but it is at least partly your fault.”
As I considered her wise (if unwelcome at the time) words, I realized that she was right. I had ALLOWED those thieves to steal my things, because I chose not to follow the rules. I left what belonged to me unattended and, as a result, it was taken from me because I created the opportunity for the perpetrator to do so.
How often have we said that a person, trial or situation has “stolen our joy”. We claim that our illness, financial situation, spiritual battle, family conflict, marital problem etc. is so big that we just can’t feel any joy while we are in the middle of the storm. It’s not our fault-the Enemy crept in and stole our joy out from under us and there was nothing we can do about it.
I have been guilty of this as well. I blame my bad mood or sadness on my husband’s pain level that day, or the fact that I had a stressful day at work, or the fact that, once again, we failed to become pregnant. I get bogged down in the day to day trials and tribulations I am facing, and can’t imagine feeling anything but defeated.
Can we just be real for a minute, Sisters? The Enemy can’t steal our joy unless we LET him.
You see, just like I created the opportunity for the thief to take my laundry when I didn’t follow the rules and keep my eye on it, we create the opportunity for THE Thief to steal our joy when we forget the rules and take our eyes off of God. No matter how big our problems may seem, if we keep our focus on the Lord and what He has done for us, we can hold onto joy in any trial.
King David knew this, and wrote in Psalm 16:8 “I keep my eyes ALWAYS on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken”. (emphasis mine).
God has promised us that no matter what we are going through, He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. (Joshua 1:5)
He tells us that if we will submit our lives to him and resist the temptations of the Enemy, even the temptation to give up and give in to defeat, that the Enemy has no choice but to flee from us. (James 4:7)
Maybe most encouragingly, He tells us that we don’t have to find joy in our own meager strength, that we can find it by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. (Romans 15:13).
In James chapter one, God even tells us to "consider it all joy" when we go through trials and temptations. (James 1:2). I know that when I first read that verse, I was at a loss at to how in the world I was supposed to find joy in the middle of my trials. Sorrow? Yes. Depression? Sure. Defeat? Absolutely. Joy was the furthest thing from my mind and heart. What reason could I possibly have for considering the storm I was in “all joy"? The next two verses go on to explain:
“Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4)
If we never had to face trials and temptations, we would never have to fully depend on the Lord to sustain us. We would never have the opportunity to find the greatest of all joy that only comes from seeing God answer our prayers and work in our lives.
By keeping our eyes on God in the midst of our trials, and allowing Him to work in us and through us, we can have unspeakable joy, knowing that we are depending on Him and HIS strength, not ours. If we never take our eyes off Him, and abide by what we know He expects us of , there is no opportunity for the Thief to come in and steal our joy. If that isn’t something to be joyful about, I don’t know what is.
Dear Father,
Lord, forgive me for allowing my trials and tribulations to make me take my eyes off of You. Help me to remember that joy is a gift from you You, Father, and that as long as I remember the “rules” in Your Word, and keep my focus firmly on you, the Enemy will not be able to take it from me. Help me to be vigilant, Lord, and to guard my heart and thoughts against negativity and defeat. Thank you for loving me, and for your promise to never leave nor forsake those who love you. In the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.
By the time the dry cycle started, however, my son was over the adventure of the laundry room, and began to whine and cry and say that he was hungry. I knew that the rules told me I was supposed to watch my laundry the entire time it was in the laundry room, but the whiny, impatient toddler tugging on my hand was making it hard to think logically. I was sure the clothes would need to tumble for at least 25 minutes to be completely dry, and since our apartment was only a few steps away, I decided to take him home to eat and return before the cycle was over.
We hurriedly walked the 10 steps to the apartment, I cooked the fastest grilled cheese sandwich I had ever made, and sat at the table encouraging my son to hurry and finish so we could go get his “Pooh shirt” out of the dryer. He finished in record time, and we ran back over the laundry room, basket in hand to get our clothes.
However , when I walked in the laundry room, the door to the dryer our clothes had been in was open, and the clothes were not inside. Panicked, I looked all over the laundry room; on the tables, in the washers, under the counters, all to no avail. Someone had snuck in while my eyes were not on my clothes, and had stolen them from me. My stomach sank and tears of anger and fear rolled from my eyes as we walked back to the apartment, wondering how I would afford to replace the things that had been stolen from me. I was livid! How dare someone come and take my things! What gave them the right? Why would they think it was OK?
When I got home I did what any young mom would do when she doesn’t know what else to do-I called MY mom. She listened as I vented and ranted and raved about how unfair it was, and how I couldn’t believe that someone had the nerve to take what belonged to me, and how if I saw someone wearing my clothes I was going to raise a stink right then and there. After I calmed down and stopped yelling, my mother calmly and quietly asked me “Tiffany, are you sure that you are not at fault in this, too? You saw the sign that said not to leave your things unattended. You knew the rules and chose to take your eyes off of your belongings anyway. What happened to you is unfair, but it is at least partly your fault.”
As I considered her wise (if unwelcome at the time) words, I realized that she was right. I had ALLOWED those thieves to steal my things, because I chose not to follow the rules. I left what belonged to me unattended and, as a result, it was taken from me because I created the opportunity for the perpetrator to do so.
How often have we said that a person, trial or situation has “stolen our joy”. We claim that our illness, financial situation, spiritual battle, family conflict, marital problem etc. is so big that we just can’t feel any joy while we are in the middle of the storm. It’s not our fault-the Enemy crept in and stole our joy out from under us and there was nothing we can do about it.
I have been guilty of this as well. I blame my bad mood or sadness on my husband’s pain level that day, or the fact that I had a stressful day at work, or the fact that, once again, we failed to become pregnant. I get bogged down in the day to day trials and tribulations I am facing, and can’t imagine feeling anything but defeated.
Can we just be real for a minute, Sisters? The Enemy can’t steal our joy unless we LET him.
You see, just like I created the opportunity for the thief to take my laundry when I didn’t follow the rules and keep my eye on it, we create the opportunity for THE Thief to steal our joy when we forget the rules and take our eyes off of God. No matter how big our problems may seem, if we keep our focus on the Lord and what He has done for us, we can hold onto joy in any trial.
King David knew this, and wrote in Psalm 16:8 “I keep my eyes ALWAYS on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken”. (emphasis mine).
God has promised us that no matter what we are going through, He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. (Joshua 1:5)
He tells us that if we will submit our lives to him and resist the temptations of the Enemy, even the temptation to give up and give in to defeat, that the Enemy has no choice but to flee from us. (James 4:7)
Maybe most encouragingly, He tells us that we don’t have to find joy in our own meager strength, that we can find it by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. (Romans 15:13).
In James chapter one, God even tells us to "consider it all joy" when we go through trials and temptations. (James 1:2). I know that when I first read that verse, I was at a loss at to how in the world I was supposed to find joy in the middle of my trials. Sorrow? Yes. Depression? Sure. Defeat? Absolutely. Joy was the furthest thing from my mind and heart. What reason could I possibly have for considering the storm I was in “all joy"? The next two verses go on to explain:
“Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4)
If we never had to face trials and temptations, we would never have to fully depend on the Lord to sustain us. We would never have the opportunity to find the greatest of all joy that only comes from seeing God answer our prayers and work in our lives.
By keeping our eyes on God in the midst of our trials, and allowing Him to work in us and through us, we can have unspeakable joy, knowing that we are depending on Him and HIS strength, not ours. If we never take our eyes off Him, and abide by what we know He expects us of , there is no opportunity for the Thief to come in and steal our joy. If that isn’t something to be joyful about, I don’t know what is.
Dear Father,
Lord, forgive me for allowing my trials and tribulations to make me take my eyes off of You. Help me to remember that joy is a gift from you You, Father, and that as long as I remember the “rules” in Your Word, and keep my focus firmly on you, the Enemy will not be able to take it from me. Help me to be vigilant, Lord, and to guard my heart and thoughts against negativity and defeat. Thank you for loving me, and for your promise to never leave nor forsake those who love you. In the mighty Name of Jesus, Amen.
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