MONDAY, OCTOBER 9
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
John 16:20 ESV
ENJOY THE PROCESS
The great theologians Frankie Beverly and Maze sang these words:
Over and over you can be sure
There will be sorrow but you will endure
Where there’s a flower there’s the sun and the rain
Oh and it’s wonderful they’re both one in the same
Joy and pain are like sunshine and rain
In John 16 Jesus began to talk about joy. He was within hours of His arrest and crucifixion and this is the first time in His earthly ministry He talked about joy. He wanted His disciples to know that pain was part of a process leading to incomparable joy.
We all were made to crave joy. C. S. Lewis gave us the following insight on the depth of joy God wants for us:
“Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
The type of joy Jesus has made possible for us was bought at a great price. Often struggle is part of the process leading to infinite joy. You may be in pain for a variety of reasons right now but joy is coming. Ask God to give you the strength to embrace the struggle and trust His process in your life.
