Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

"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...

Can you feel blessed and favored by God and also cursed by man?   Things are getting weird out there, folks.  Really weird. The more we shine our light for Jesus, share the Truth - not your truth or my truth, but the Truth - the more we experience hatred and disdain from others. Get used to it. Or as Bette Davis famously said in All About Eve, " Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy night."  The confusion happens when we mistake being mistreated by others as mistreatment from God.  After all, God is Sovereign.  So He could stop others' persecution of us, right? Yes, of couse He could. Yet stuff happens. There is a huge spiritual battle raging around us 24/7. Those who oppose Christ - many, ignorantly - they don't even know why  they're opposed, but they just are - are rampant.  Haven't run into many?  I'd say you are in the Holy Huddle, then.  This is not how Jesus lived His life. Jesus was "out there" among the people - many o...

I don't relate at all to those "picture perfect" posts I see on social media. My life is messy.  Oh, my home is clean!  But life itself is messy. There are spiritual battles daily. There seems to be little respite some days. There are surprise attacks from the enemy.  I get blind-sided.  Then I beat myself up for not responding in the Spirit. I take on way more than I should and I struggle with keeping a good attitude. It's easy for me to have pity parties, and just give in to discouragement.   Why can't I just do something about my messes, you may ask? God. That's the short answer. Oh believe me, I have tried.  I pray, fast, cry out to God, stand on His promises.  But since my life is not my own - hasn't been for over 30 years now - but belongs to Christ, I don't call the shots.  He does. This means that my life, with all of its messiness, is panning out exactly as Christ has ordained.  And no matter how hard it may be for me, He is Lor...