Count It All Joy

Imagine you are standing in your backyard garden contemplating tackling the constantly encroaching weeds.  Suddenly, the rose bush bursts into flames!  The earth beneath your feet trembles - not to mention your heart.  The shock diminishes enough to release your legs from their prison and you move closer to the rose bush which for some unknown reason remains in tact instead of being reduced to a pile of ash.  Your entire body is suddenly attuned to a soft, quiet voice calling your name.  No amount of searching reveals the source but the call is so persistent, you finally acknowledge it.   It's God.  He has a mission for you.  It won't be easy or glamorous.  No fame or fortune - in fact quite the opposite.  

Would you take the call?  

As is often the case, the Bible has some guidance to offer. Jonah ran from his call and we all know the result of that decision.  His acceptance of God's call on his life was done with reluctance and a great deal of pouting.  Joseph on the other hand seemed to accept his fate without the bitterness and chaffing.  His "embrace" of each situation led him from a pit to a throne with a jail cell along the way.  Moses' burning bush call brought an entire nation into the promised land. 

So back to the garden. Chances are your roses are safe but have you ever considered that God has placed a call on your life?  For whatever reason, wherever you are right this very minute, whatever the pressures, struggles, hardships or joys and pleasures, God has allowed them in your life.  Often our reaction to the "bad" times are to lament - Why me, Lord, Why me?  Likely the question we should be asking is Why not me, Lord?

Could it be there is something to that perennial favorite of Cursillo – Bloom where you are planted?  Joseph certainly did. Regardless of his circumstances, despite his many trials, he never forgot that God was with him.  His location didn’t cause him to pivot away from God.  Joseph didn't howl at the moon, organize a protest march, sit in a corner and pout or even seek revenge.  He didn't question God's call on his life.  He even knew that God had allowed the difficulties in his life.   

Accepting that God allows bad or difficult circumstances in our life isn’t always easy.  Turning to Him in thanksgiving during the good times – that’s a no brainer.  It is when the hard times are on our doorstep that words of thanksgiving seize in our throats.  How can we possibly be grateful for this illness, this loss, this tragedy?  The answer to that question does not come easy and the road to find the answer is rife with danger.  Even Moses let his frustration with a whining nation cost him entrance to the promised land.  .

So how do we count it all joy when times of trouble come our way?  How do we keep our trials from consuming us?  There is no easy answer but there is one sure path called Faith.  It is one that is not easy to walk, the road rocky and the gate narrow.  But the reward is great.  For there at the foot of the cross, your tears will be wiped away, a cloth will cool your fevered brow and loving arms will give you rest from the slings and arrows life has thrown your way.  There you can find comfort, strength and renewal.  

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

So how will you face challenges in your life?  Will you let Joseph be your guide or join Jonah in the belly of the whale?