I can find joy in every season of my life

21Apr
Blessed is the Lord! 
for he has heard the voice of my prayer.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; 
my heart trusts in him, and I have been helped;

Therefore my heart dances for joy, 
and in my song will I praise him.
The Lord is the strength of his people, 
a safe refuge for his anointed.

Save your people and bless your inheritance; 
shepherd them and carry them for ever.
-Psalm 28: 7-11


I am sure that many of us will agree that there are days when the world feels dark and the news hits like a punch to the gut. I cringe when I turn on the TV to watch the evening news. Some days I don’t want to hear the accounts of what has happened during the day. And then on the flip side, when there is good news, as Psalm 28 says: “my heart dances for joy!” I thought I would share these two incredibly uplifting stories that I saw recently.  


RAM (Remote Area Medical) is an organization that provides free dental, vision, and medical care through volunteer-run mobile clinics across the United States. Since 1985, they have served over 1 million patients, provided over $232,000,000 in healthcare and are proud to have more than 238,000 volunteers. RAM finds a way to care for those who cannot reach or afford care. And patients are willing to wait – some drive hours and will sleep in their cars just to have an opportunity see a doctor. Sounds like our Trinity Medical Mission that has traveled to Latin America since the early 1990s attending to the health needs of the less fortunate. God bless those volunteers.


Artemis II launched on April 1, marking the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 50 years. A few days later, the astronauts swung around the far side of the moon, traveling farther from the Earth than humans have ever gone before. With all the milestones accomplished in the last few weeks, there was one moment that was so touching. The Artemis crew had the opportunity to name craters on the moon’s surface. They chose to name one of them “Carroll” as a tribute to mission commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, who died in 2020. The New York Times reported: “Houston, We Have No Problem. But We Do Have a Lot of ‘Moon Joy.’” The crew safely landed on April 10.


I’ll conclude with a quote from Farrell Mason: “But joy is altogether something else. It is a holy, spiritual activity. We cannot manufacture it on our own, it is given to us by God. Right now, juggling the griefs and glories of being human, God has given you and me reason to still, and always feel joy.”


Musical Reflection -JOYFUL, JOYFUL, WE ADORE THEE at ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON


Lord, because You are with me and in me, I can find joy in every season of my life. As I go about my day, help me to remember Your love and promises and help me to trade my sorrows for joy. Amen.

Joy

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