It’s the eve of Thanksgiving. Cinnamon rolls are rising on the mantle in front of the fireplace. Tom Turkey the IV is brined, dry rubbed, and waiting atop his final resting place to be smoked to juicy perfection. Our home is warm. Filled with children. And yet we still find ourselves struggling, on nearly a daily basis, to be grateful.

There is a reason that one of the fruits of the spirit is joy. It is a foreign aspect to this fallen world that, because of our sin state, can’t be obtained apart from the indwelling, sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. True joy isn’t the fleeting feeling of gratification or momentary happiness, but rather it is the expectation of something hoped for, the faith in what is not yet seen, and the trust in the sovereign goodness of a faithful God.

True joy is the awareness that my sin, for which payment is owed, has already been accounted for. It is the looking beyond this temporal state to what is eternal and the recognition that every trial, every difficulty is developing an eternal, spiritual maturity that will be used by God in His future kingdom. For that reason when our finances are stretched to their limits, when I’ve stood graveside burying someone I dearly loved, when a child rebels and walks away from their faith, when a beloved church leader falls to a sin and leaves the ministry, when persecution for the sake of Christ is not just a news story headline that flashes across my phone, but comes directly to my front door I can count is all as joy when I face various these various trials (James 1:2).

Tonight’s thoughts are brief. We’ve all faced another long and arduous year. But one day He’ll wipe every tear, every sorrow, and all the trials we’ve had to ‘count as joy,’ trusting through the pain and sorrow, will prove all the more that He really was working together all things for our good all along.

Happy Thanksgiving ♥️