Count it all joy,
my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds ~ James 1:2
ESV
Yesterday, after my workout, when my brain was clear,
Holy Spirit whispered, “Count it all joy.” Immediately, I remembered my pregnancy
with Elizabeth. I was very sick at the beginning of my 1st
trimester, so much so, that I ended up in the hospital and it was a whirlwind
of crazy and scary events. Even when I returned home, everything was an upside-down
mess. I remember my dear friend called me and said, “Joy is a choice.” She told
me the story of when her mom had been pregnant with her and some awful things
were going on in her mom’s life. But one day, she decided to finish her
pregnancy with joy. My friend told me that every day, her mom had to choose joy,
but she did and when my friend was born, her name was going to be Joy. It ended
up being something else, but that’s another story. My friend’s story impacted
me so much, that not only did I choose joy for the remainder of my pregnancy, we
named our daughter Elizabeth Joy.
After digging into James 1:2, I discovered that “Count it”
is also translated “Consider,” whose definition is to “reflect on,” and I laughed! I LOVE how God knows me so
well. He grabbed my attention with “joy,” but then brought it around full
circle, calling me to reflect.
What’s going on in your life? As the year closes and a
new beginning is on the horizon, what things can you choose to count as and
walk through with joy? Choosing joy doesn’t necessarily change things, but it can
make a long, hard road easier. And you never know, you just might begin to enjoy
life.
©Heather
Potts 2017
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