Trouble that’s transformed into joy
"Trouble that's transformed into joy." I read this phrase in a devotional recently. It jumped off the page as I read it. It doesn't make sense intellectually. How can anyone find joy in their troubles? But when God Almighty transforms them, they can turn into joy. I have experienced this for myself, albeit after I struggle for a while with it. I could be smack dab in the middle of a very deep, perplexing, and gone-on-for-far-too-long trouble, but when I turn my attention to Christ, everything calms down. Maybe not in the circumstance, but inside of me. We can't always control our circumstances, can we? The vacation that goes awry due to an unexpected hurricane. That parent/teacher conference that catches you by surprise. A child that you brought up to worship God, but who has chosen another path. We all have them. Troubles, that is. Some loom larger than others. Some seem insurmountable. We wish they wou...
